NASA’s Interplanetary Helicopters: Pioneering a New Frontier!
NASA has successfully conducted tests on its next generation of Mars helicopters in two distinct locations. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California recently tested a new rotor for future mission helicopters, while the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter carried out a real-life flight simulation on Mars, achieving record-breaking altitude and airspeed. The NASA team was pleasantly surprised by the impressive performance of the new Mars helicopter during the test. Get all the details here.
NASA’s upcoming Mars helicopter tests
According to a NASA report, the space agency created a Martian atmosphere on Earth using JPL’s 25-foot-wide, 85-foot-tall space simulator where Surveyor, Voyager and Cassini were tested. Testing used the new rotor’s wings, which were 4 inches longer, longer than the ingenious Mars Helicopter. The test was monitored for three weeks in September, during which NASA monitored the blades’ sensors, gauges and cameras at various high speeds and inclination angles.
Tyler Del Sesto, associate test director for JPL’s sample return helicopter, said, “We spun our blades to 3,500 rpm, which is 750 rpm faster than Ingenuity’s blades have gone. These more powerful blades are now more than a hypothetical exercise. They’re ready to fly.”
On the other hand, the inventive Mars Helicopter is exceeding expectations on Mars as the team conducts new flight tests. NASA’s inventive helicopter was supposed to conduct surveys for 30 days, but the mission has lasted more than two years on Mars. The genius teams have tested the helicopter’s new features by increasing the maximum flight speed and altitude. These tests can help scientists build a durable helicopter for future missions.
To date, the Mars helicopter has completed 66 flights, and on the 61st flight, it reached a new altitude record of 78.7 feet. In addition, the team is also testing the helicopter’s landing speed for a slower landing. In December, the team also plans to test Ingenuity’s two high-speed flights with special pitch and roll angles.
