The NASA has presented the concept design of a new helicopter to fly in Marte equipped with six rotors, 20 times heavier than its predecessor Ingenuity deployed in 2021.
Chopper would be the size of an SUV, and each of its six rotors would be equipped with six blades. It could be used to transport scientific payloads of up to 5 kilograms to distances of up to 3 kilometers each Martian day (or sol). The longest flight of Ingenuity, which reached the Red Planet attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, was 704 meters.
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Scientists could use Chopper to study large swaths of terrain in detail, quickly, including areas where rovers cannot travel safely, NASA reports.
Inspired by the longevity of Ingenuity, which made 72 flights over three years on Mars, NASA engineers have been testing smaller, lighter avionics that could be used in vehicle designs for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign. Earth from samples selected on Mars by the Perseverance rover.
The data is also helping engineers in their research into what a future Mars helicopter might look like and how it might work.
The concept was discussed by Chopper project manager Teddy Tzanetos of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory during a briefing at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington.
“Ingenuity has given us the confidence and data to imagine the future of Mars flight,” Tzanetos said.