The first helicopter of Mars enters the final stage of tests

science and technology

NASA's Mars helicopter project has passed a number of key tests to the final stage. In 2021, the micro-helicopter will be the first vehicle in history to fly on another planet.

"Nobody has built a helicopter for Mars before, so we're constantly entering new areas," said Mimi Ong, director of the Mars helicopter project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The flight model has recently been successful in many important tests. "

In January 2019, the team operated the model aircraft in a simulated Mars environment. The aircraft was then transferred to Lockheed Martin Space in Denver for the Mars helicopter compatibility test, which will carry the 4-pound (1.8 kg) spacecraft during launch and flight Between the planets before they reach Mars after landing.

The helicopter carries a camera capable of providing high-resolution color images to document the Red Planet. Later, it will carry out exploratory missions by flying in hard-to-reach places such as cliffs, caves and deep drilling on Mars, or scouting for human crews or carrying small loads from one location to another, However, before any of this occurs, the test vehicle must prove that it is capable of completing its final phase.

The Mars helicopter and its delivery system were tested to ensure that the electrical connections and mechanisms connecting the flight vehicle were well-suited, and the thermal vacuum was tested for extreme temperatures (up to -20 ° C or -129 ° C) to be encountered in space and on Mars Which may cause plug-ins or malfunction.

Helicopter Mars

The Mars helicopter returned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on 11 May 2019 for further testing and finalization. A new solar panel was installed to operate the helicopter. Rotor blades were rotated to ensure that more than 1,500 individual carbon fiber and aluminum In flight grade, in addition to silicon, copper, chips, to act as a cohesive unit, but there are still more tests coming.

"We expect to complete our final tests and improvements and deliver the helicopter to a clean room at High Bay 1 to integrate with the Martian explorer sometime this summer, but we will never make sure we are successful in testing the helicopter to fly on Mars," Ong said.