The U.S. House of Representatives has approved $15 million to continue development of a 2.2-pound NASA unmanned helicopter with twin contra-rotating blades designed to fly on Mars. The autonomous helicopter is slated to be included on a 2020 mission to the Red Planet and is designed to fly ahead of a surface rover for two to three minutes per day as a scout vehicle, before returning to the rover to recharge its solar batteries. Accounting for the low atmospheric pressure on Mars, the rotor disc of the proposed prototype spans 3.6 feet and supports a body that resembles a medium-sized tissue box and is hardened against solar radiation. The current design has been tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
NASA says the Mars Helicopter could triple a rover’s daily range by delivering visual information that will help engineers on Earth plan the best driving route. The rover will be specially instrumented to detect scientific indications of past or present life on the planet. Images from the helicopter could also be used to look for features for the rover to study in more detail and to select samples of rocks for a cache to be collected by follow-on vehicles.
Scientists have been working on the concept of a Mars Helicopter since the 1990s; however, early efforts were set back by the large size required, available battery technology and lengthy charging times.