NASA: Rotor blades for next Mars helicopter ready for supersonic speed
Ingenuity has proven that helicopters can fly on Mars. However, it couldn't lift much. This is set to change with its successors.
The new rotors before the test
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have seen the rotor blades for the next Mars helicopter break the sound barrier, demonstrating their ability to overcome even greater challenges on the Red Planet than Ingenuity. The US space agency made this public, stating that the data suggests an aircraft equipped with them could carry heavier payloads on Mars. The tips of two different rotor blades thus reached Mach 1.08, which was the case at 3750 and 3570 revolutions per minute, respectively, due to their different lengths. A helicopter whose rotors reach these speeds on Mars could carry 30 percent more weight, NASA adds.
The Mars helicopters “will be absolutely fantastic”
The tests are part of the preparation for missions that are intended to build on the success of the small Mars helicopter Ingenuity. “Even though everything is difficult on Mars, flying there is probably the most difficult thing imaginable,” explains Al Chen from JPL. This is because the atmosphere there is extremely thin, while gravity is significant. The rotors therefore have to spin much faster than on Earth to lift comparable loads. At the same time, exceeding the speed of sound leads to unpredictable consequences. Ingenuity's rotors were therefore specifically designed not to even come close to the speed of sound, so that they would not be exceeded even by a sudden gust of wind.
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This will no longer be the case with the next aircraft, which is why it must be ensured that they can also withstand exceeding the speed of sound. The rotor blades will rotate up to 1050 revolutions per minute more than Ingenuity's. The tests have now shown that they can withstand this. For this purpose, they were spun in a pressure chamber at JPL under the atmospheric conditions of Mars, and finally, artificially generated wind ensured that the tips of the rotor blades were moving faster than sound. How much helicopters equipped with them can lift on the Red Planet is now being calculated, but “these next-generation helicopters will be absolutely fantastic,” is already certain Shannah Withrow-Maser from NASA.
Ingenuity landed with the Mars rover Perseverance in early 2021 and was the first aircraft on another celestial body there. Originally, the test device was only supposed to take off a few times. With this, NASA wanted to show that it was possible at all and pave the way for follow-up missions. However, because the small helicopter was so successful, it was allowed to accompany the main mission from then on. Ingenuity explored the area for Perseverance and repeatedly flew ahead of the rover, sometimes so far that there was no visual contact. Only after 72 flights at the beginning of 2024 did the historic mission abruptly come to an end. At the end of 2028, the next three helicopters are to be sent to Mars.
(mho)
