Science

NASA SHOCK: Space agency to send HELICOPTER to Mars in search for ‘signs of life’


The space agency plans to send flying rovers to Mars in 2020, arriving in 2021, and boffins at NASA have moved closer to making that a reality with the latest tests. So far the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been limited to exploring other worlds on the ground. However, the US’s iconic space agency will now be able to add an extra-dimension in the way planets are explored thanks to its aptly named Mars Helicopter.

A statement from NASA said the helicopter will “determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.”

NASA’s drone-like spaceship will be remotely controlled from Earth and will travel through the top of the thin Martian atmosphere, where temperatures can reach as low as minus 90C.

The harsh conditions of Mars’ atmosphere make test flights extremely difficult to recreate on Earth, which is why NASA has been putting the small 1.8 kilogram helicopter through its vacuum chamber at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

MiMi Aung, project manager for the Mars Helicopter, said: “Gearing up for that first flight on Mars, we have logged over 75 minutes of flying time with an engineering model, which was a close approximation of our helicopter.

“But this recent test of the flight model was the real deal. This is our helicopter bound for Mars. We needed to see that it worked as advertised.

“The Martian atmosphere is only about one percent the density of Earth’s.

“Our test flights could have similar atmospheric density here on Earth — if you put your airfield 100,000 feet (30,480 meters) up. So you can’t go somewhere and find that. You have to make it.”

Teddy Tzanetos, test conductor for the Mars Helicopter at JPL, added: “Getting our helicopter into an extremely thin atmosphere is only part of the challenge.

“To truly simulate flying on Mars we have to take away two-thirds of Earth’s gravity, because Mars’ gravity is that much weaker.”

The Martian drone is expected to reach the Red Planet in February, 2021.





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