NASA reveals new Mars helicopter design with aim to enhance the exploration of Mars and help explore other planets. In April 2021, Ingenuity made history by becoming the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

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Challenges of flying on Mars

Flying on Mars is difficult due to the planet's thin atmosphere, which has less than 1 per cent of the density of Earth's atmosphere. This means helicopters like Ingenuity need to work harder to lift off the ground. Mars also has fine dust, which can be harmful to the delicate equipment on these aircraft, as reported by the Science Alert website.

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Building on the success of Ingenuity, NASA is designing a new helicopter, the Mars Chopper. This new helicopter will be larger and more capable. Unlike Ingenuity, which was a demonstration, the Mars Chopper will carry scientific instruments to help explore Mars in greater detail.

Increased payload and new capabilities

The new helicopter design features six rotors, each with six blades, which are smaller in comparison but help generate more lift. This means the Mars Chopper will be able to carry more equipment and fly longer distances—up to three kilometres.

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The Mars Chopper will be able to carry up to 5 kilograms of equipment, allowing it to perform more complex tasks. It will help scientists study areas that are difficult to reach with rovers, and it will be valuable for future human missions to Mars.

This new helicopter is the result of a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Ames Research Center, both based in California. It will play a key role in gathering important data and supporting exploration efforts on Mars.

The Mars Chopper will be a game changer for the exploration of Mars and other planets with similar atmospheres. By providing aerial views of Mars, it will support both robotic and human missions, allowing us to explore parts of the planet that we could not reach before.

(With inputs from agencies)