NASA continues to develop a new generation of helicopters capable of flying in the thin atmosphere of Mars.
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California tested a new design for rotor blades, making them rotate at supersonic speeds at their tips.
These experiments were carried out inside a state-of-the-art chamber that simulates the atmosphere of Mars, by replacing regular air with low-density carbon dioxide.
After conducting 137 experiments, NASA obtained promising data indicating the possibility of increasing the helicopter’s lifting capacity by 30%, which means that in the future it will be able to carry heavier scientific instruments, larger batteries, and fly longer distances. (Russia Today)
