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This image of the flight
model of NASA's Mars Helicopter was taken on Feb. 14, 2019, in a cleanroom at
JPL. The aluminum base plate, side posts and crossbeam around the helicopter
protect its landing legs and the attachment points that will hold it to the
belly of the Mars 2020 rover. Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Ken
Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM – 12 June 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Going where no helicopter has gone before NASA’s and humanities
maiden Martian chopper has entered its final testing phase with the goal of
proving the rather difficult feat that a heavier than air vehicle can fly in
the Red Planets extremely thin atmosphere.
If all goes will the Martian helicopter will be mated to the belly of NASA’s 2020 Red Planet rover in time for liftoff next July - and a history making first ever feat of flight on Mars in July 2021.
"Nobody's built a Mars Helicopter before, so we are continuously entering new territory," said MiMi Aung, project manager for the Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "Our flight model — the actual vehicle that will travel to Mars — has recently passed several important tests."
Watch this very cool video to see the Mars helicopter tested in flight by the team to make sure its ready to ride with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover:
If all goes will the Martian helicopter will be mated to the belly of NASA’s 2020 Red Planet rover in time for liftoff next July - and a history making first ever feat of flight on Mars in July 2021.
"Nobody's built a Mars Helicopter before, so we are continuously entering new territory," said MiMi Aung, project manager for the Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "Our flight model — the actual vehicle that will travel to Mars — has recently passed several important tests."
Watch this very cool video to see the Mars helicopter tested in flight by the team to make sure its ready to ride with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover:
Video Caption: The laws of physics may say it's near impossible to
fly on Mars, but actually flying a heavier-than-air vehicle on the Red Planet
is much harder than that. NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will deliver a technology
demonstration that will put the idea to the test -- a helicopter that will
perform controlled flight on Mars.
Credit: NASA/JPL
“In 2021, the small, autonomous helicopter will
be the first vehicle in history to attempt to establish the viability of
heavier-than-air vehicles flying on another planet,” says NASA.
“Its purpose is to confirm that powered flight in the tenuous Martian atmosphere (which has 1% the density of Earth's) is possible and that it can be controlled from Earth over large interplanetary distances.”
The Mars Helicopter weighs 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) and will be attached to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover during launch and interplanetary cruise before deploying it onto the surface of Mars after landing.
It carries no science instruments since it is a technology demonstration experiment but will be equipped with a high resolution camera to scout the local alien terrain.
If it successfully flies on Mars the science team will use the chopper to help assess which route the rover will be routed to as she journeys across the Red Planet.
From January to May the team conducted flight testing with the flight model in a simulated Martian environment at JPL compatibility with the Mars Helicopter Delivery System at Lockheed Martin Space in Denver.
“Its purpose is to confirm that powered flight in the tenuous Martian atmosphere (which has 1% the density of Earth's) is possible and that it can be controlled from Earth over large interplanetary distances.”
The Mars Helicopter weighs 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) and will be attached to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover during launch and interplanetary cruise before deploying it onto the surface of Mars after landing.
It carries no science instruments since it is a technology demonstration experiment but will be equipped with a high resolution camera to scout the local alien terrain.
If it successfully flies on Mars the science team will use the chopper to help assess which route the rover will be routed to as she journeys across the Red Planet.
From January to May the team conducted flight testing with the flight model in a simulated Martian environment at JPL compatibility with the Mars Helicopter Delivery System at Lockheed Martin Space in Denver.
And don’t forget that NASA is inviting the
public to send their name along for the journey that begins with blastoff of
the ‘2020 Rover’ in July 2020.
From now until Sept. 30, you can send your name to Mars by adding it to a chip to be loaded on board for the journey.
You can sign up and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here:
From now until Sept. 30, you can send your name to Mars by adding it to a chip to be loaded on board for the journey.
You can sign up and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here:
Over 7.0 million people have already signed
up to place their names on the chips as of today, June 12.
I was fortunate to visit with Curiosity in the KSC clean room back in 2011, 3 weeks before liftoff. A memory I’ll always cherish !
I was fortunate to visit with Curiosity in the KSC clean room back in 2011, 3 weeks before liftoff. A memory I’ll always cherish !
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Dr. Ken Kremer/Space UpClose in the KSC clean
room with Curiosity in 2011. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The Mars 2020 rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The launch window opens in July 2020.
It is being targeted to touch down at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.
Mars 2020 will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
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