The American space agency has just successfully tested the resistance of a new type of rotor. It will be used to create helicopter robots sent on missions to the planet Mars.
There conquest of Mars is no longer a dream worthy of a science fiction novel. More and more technologies are being developed to allow humans to set foot on the red planet in the fairly near future. An engine that would make it possible to get there from Earth in 60 days, for example. And there’s no need to overload the ship: 22 people are enough to create a colony on Mars. They might be welcomed by the robot Perseverance from NASA by the way. Arriving in 2021, he brought with him Ingenuitya helicopter drone intended to test Martian flights.
Ingenuity has far exceeded engineers’ expectations. While it was supposed to carry out 5 test flights at most, it is now 66while regularly beating height records reached and of distance traveled. Building on this success, NASA has been working for some time now on the next generation ofMartian robot helicopters. First stage, develop more efficient propellers to equip future models. A test carried out on September 15 bodes very well.
A new rotor that spins almost at the speed of sound will equip robot helicopters on Mars
For this, NASA used a room approximately 7.6 meters wide and 26 meters high. This is a simulator in which we can recreate the conditions found in space, extreme temperatures, solar radiation… In this unwelcoming room, the agency turned a rotor equipped with carbon fiber blades. The whole thing is 1.3 meters in diameter. For 3 weeks, the teams made it run faster and faster, until it reached Mach 0.95. This is 0.05 points below the speed of soundwho is from 1240 km/h in the air approximately.
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The results are encouraging. NASA could begin manufacturing helicopter drones with propellers that are both very durable and capable of flying ever higher and further. The presence of such robots during missions to Mars is an excellent way to prepare for the arrival of the first astronauts, while continuing to support them afterwards. The dream is coming true more and more.
Source: Space.com