NASA making an allowance for Mars Drone For 2020 Rover

NASA’s next Mars rover will have a flying pal to lend a hand it navigate the pink Planet.

November 20, 2015

the subsequent NASA Mars rover may just include a helper drone. This morning, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab outside los angeles introduced that it is bearing in mind including a drone to the Mars 2020 rover.

consistent with Elizabeth Landau of the Jet Propulsion Lab:

The Mars Helicopter (is) a proposed add-on to Mars rovers of the future that could probably triple the gap these autos at the moment power in a Martian day, and deliver a brand new level of visible knowledge for selecting which sites to discover.

The helicopter would fly in advance of the rover virtually every day, checking out more than a few imaginable attractions and helping engineers back on the earth plan one of the best using route.

Scientists may additionally use the helicopter pictures to look for features for the rover to check in additional element. some other a part of the helicopter’s job could be to take a look at the most effective places for the rover to collect key samples and rocks for a cache, which a subsequent-era rover might decide up later.

A proof-of-concept version of the Mars helicopter drone is currently in trying out at the Jet Propulsion Lab. One big problem NASA will face is getting the helicopter to fly on Mars, where the ambiance is far thinner.

[Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech]

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