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- NASA’s Mars Helicopter, part of the Mars 2020 mission, has just been installed on the Perseverance rover as the team prepares for the mission’s launch in July.
- The helicopter will have no scientific objective, but it will demonstrate what can be possible when it comes to flying on Mars.
- Weighing in at just four pounds, the helicopter will initially be powered by the Perseverance rover, but will gather solar power after deployment, remaining in operation for a month.
- Visit the BGR home page for more stories.
NASA’s Perseverance rover and the Mars 2020 mission are rapidly taking shape as we move toward the expected launch window that begins in mid-July. The robot is the most advanced piece of technology NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet, and it’s packed with instruments that will teach scientists all sorts of cool things about our dusty neighbor.
Now, with about 14 weeks to go until the launch window begins, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has reached a critical step in final rover assembly by installing the Mars Helicopter. Yes, you read it correctly.
The Mars Helicopter is one of the most interesting aspects of the Mars 2020 mission, and if it succeeds, it will be the first time that humanity has attempted controlled flight on a planet other than Earth. It’s kind of exciting, but the helicopter will not fly to the skies immediately after the rover reaches Mars.
The helicopter, which is integrated into a delivery system that is tethered to the belly of the scout vehicle, will spend nearly three months waiting for its time to shine after the mission reaches Mars. As the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains in a new publication, the rover will drive around 330 feet before the helicopter has a chance to strut.
“Before being deployed to the surface of the Jezero crater, the Mars helicopter will depend on the rover for power,” explains NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Subsequently, it will generate its own electrical energy through a solar panel located on its twin counter-rotating propellers.”
The plane itself is quite small, weighing just 4 pounds, and its 4-foot propeller system should provide plenty of lift. The helicopter will have up to a month to show what it can do after it is deployed, but NASA keeps its expectations under control.
In fact, the helicopter has no real scientific objective at all. It will not be collecting samples or analyzing anything. Instead, the plane will simply demonstrate what might be possible when it comes to flying in the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere. Its success or failure will inform future missions and could lead to more advanced helicopter designs that would be able to explore Mars and other planets much faster than a slow rover.
Image Source: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, handheld devices, smartphones, and future technology.
Most recently, Mike served as technical editor at The Daily Dot, and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and in print. His love for
the reports are second only to his addiction to games.
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