NASA has unveiled the successor to its highly successful Ingenuity helicopter, which roamed the surface of Mars for more than three years after landing with the Perseverance rover in 2020. A computer rendering, created in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and the Ames Research Center, shows a drone-like vehicle the size of an SUV with six rotors. Specifically, each rotor has six blades, which are smaller than those on Ingenuity but could, theoretically, provide even more lift.
The “Mars Chopper,” as NASA is calling it, looks heavier than its predecessor and has greater payload capacity to carry scientific instruments such as imaging and analysis kits. The new age drone will be capable of carrying a weight of five kilograms to a distance of three kilometers. This new model will be a real game changer for exploring not only Mars but any alien world with a solid surface and an atmosphere that can support flight.
“Scientists can use Chopper to study large sections of terrain in detail – including areas where rovers cannot safely travel,” NASA said.
Despite its stronger and better design, Mars Chopper will face a tough mountain to climb. Ingenuity, which weighed 1.8 kg, courtesy of its two counter-rotating blades, was designed to conduct five experimental test flights over 30 days. However, it managed to operate for almost three years, making 72 flights and flying 30 times farther than planned.
Read this also NASA’s Perseverance Rover will reveal the secrets of the Red Planet after a challenging climb.
Why did Ingenuity crash?
Last month, NASA also revealed why Ingenuity crashed on the surface of Mars after a long stay. According to engineers at JPL and AeroVironment, “the failure of Ingenuity’s navigation system to provide accurate data during flight resulted in a series of events that ended the mission”.
Ingenuity’s navigation system was designed to track visible features on the surface of Mars using a camera on well-textured (pebbly) but flat terrain. During the fatal flight, Ingenuity was in an area of Jezero Crater that is filled with steep, relatively featureless sand waves. The topography confused the helicopter and resulted in a forceful collision that caused Ingenuity to deflate and roll over.
Despite being grounded, Ingenuity still sends weather and avionics test data to Perseverance once a week. NASA believes the weather information could help future explorers of the Red Planet.
