Helicopter to Fly on Mars by 2020

If all plans go fine, NASA is sending a helicopter into Mars space in 2020. It’ll be also the first test of an aircraft on another planet. The Marscopter will be sent to the Mars during NASA’s Mars mission in 2020. The scientists have been working day and night on designing the aircraft, which is of the size of a softball and will weigh around 1.8kg.

The scientists are specially designing the aircraft to fly successfully in the atmosphere of the Mars which is 100 times thinner than the earth’s surface and therefore the aircraft is described as heavier than air. In the 1980’s Soviet scientists have experimented dropping balloons into the atmosphere of Venus but no aircraft has taken off from the surface of another planet so far.

According to scientists, the helicopter is 10 times faster than the normal helicopter on earth as the two blades of the helicopter will spin around 3000 revolutions in a single minute. NASA is thrilled and excited to launch the helicopter. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, says, “NASA has a proud history of firsts. The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.”

Started as a technology development project in August 2013 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the tiny craft will not have any pilot, but it will be flying 55 million kilometers from earth without any remote control signal. The helicopter, therefore, will fly the mission on its own. Project Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Mimi Aung says, “Earth will be several light minutes away, so there is no way to joystick this mission in real time. She also says “the altitude record for a helicopter flying here on Earth is about 40,000 feet. When our helicopter is on the Martian surface, it's already at the Earth equivalent of 100,000 feet up”.

The team is, therefore, trying to make the helicopter as strong as possible so that it can survive any danger on space. NASA, though, is considering the Mars helicopter project a high-risk project but they are not going to stop the project and are ready to take a chance.

Even if it doesn’t work, the project is not going to disturb NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. According to a statement released by NASA, “If it does not work, the Mars 2020 mission will not be impacted. If it does work, helicopters may have a real future as low-flying scouts and aerial vehicles to access locations not reachable by ground travel”.

In 2009, the Spirit rover got stuck in the sand and eventually ran out of power and shut down, stopping exploring of such kind forever. But with the new project, scientists are excited and thrilled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

NASA Mars mission, the Mars 2020 rover this time will accompany the new helicopter companion, Marscopter, which is due for launch in July 2020 and is expected to land on the red planet by February 2021.