Solved: NASA will send a helicopter to Mars

On Friday, it became known that NASA stillwill send a small helicopter to Mars as part of the mission of the space agency in 2020, during which a new generation rover will be launched on the surface of the Red Planet. For the first time in history, an aircraft of this kind will be used outside the Earth.

Mars Helicopter with remote control,Designed for flight in the thin atmosphere of Mars, with two counter-rotating blades, it weighs about two kilograms. Its blades will rotate at a speed of 3000 rpm, which is about 10 times higher than the speed of rotation of the blades of earthly helicopters.

"The record of helicopter flight altitude on Earth is about11 thousand meters. The atmosphere of Mars is 1% of the Earth’s, so when our helicopter is on the surface of Mars, it will be equivalent to flying at an altitude of 30,480 meters, ”says Mimi Ong, project manager for Mars Helicopter from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The helicopter will go to Mars with the rover2020 year. After placing the helicopter on the surface, the rover will move to a safe distance. The first autonomous flight of the Mars Helicopter will be carried out with the help of operators from the Earth, when tests are carried out and batteries are charged. The helicopter is equipped with solar panels to charge its lithium-ion batteries and a heating mechanism that will keep warm in cold nights.

Exploring the surface of Mars withA fast and active helicopter promises to be a real breakthrough. The prospect of such research turned out to be too exciting to not be considered. Given the low speed of movement and limited navigation capabilities of the rover, the helicopter will be an excellent tool in reconnaissance and identifying places of interest.