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NASA is developing a drone for flights over Mars
No, this is not a strange boomerang — it is likely the first aircraft that will fly in the sky above Mars. NASA officials said they are building a prototype of Prandtl-m (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars or Preliminary Aerodynamic Design Study for a Landing on Mars). This vehicle is an unmanned glider that will be launched from special Mars rovers and explore possible landing sites to eventually enable manned flights. The device has a length of about 61 cm, and on Earth weighs about 1180 grams, and on Mars, thanks to less gravity, it relieves up to about 450 grams. This will make it light enough to cover a distance of up to 32 km, at an altitude of about 610 meters above the surface.
Tests on Mars will take place only in 2022-2024, about to see the prototype in action, do not have to wait so long. When the prototype is completed this year, it will be tested on the ground, and will plan from a balloon. It will fix special equipment to study high-altitude radiation or a camera for mapping. The next flight is expected in 2016, and then Prandtl-m will fly from a higher altitude for as much as 5 hours until it lands on the ground. While it sounds less impressive, and before the flights of people over the red planet is still a long way, but the development of this drone is an important step on the path of Mars exploration.
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: tehplaneta.ru/automotoavia/aviatehnika/nasa-razrabatyvaet-bespilotnik-dlya-poletov-nad-marsom
Tests on Mars will take place only in 2022-2024, about to see the prototype in action, do not have to wait so long. When the prototype is completed this year, it will be tested on the ground, and will plan from a balloon. It will fix special equipment to study high-altitude radiation or a camera for mapping. The next flight is expected in 2016, and then Prandtl-m will fly from a higher altitude for as much as 5 hours until it lands on the ground. While it sounds less impressive, and before the flights of people over the red planet is still a long way, but the development of this drone is an important step on the path of Mars exploration.
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: tehplaneta.ru/automotoavia/aviatehnika/nasa-razrabatyvaet-bespilotnik-dlya-poletov-nad-marsom