Link to the underlying press release [0] which has slightly more info than the BBC article. There is a bit more background about the project at [1], with some key points being:<p>"The helicopter uses counter-rotating coaxial rotors about 1.1 m in diameter. Its payload will be a high resolution downward-looking camera for navigation, landing, and science surveying of the terrain, and a communication system to relay data to the 2020 Mars rover. The inconsistent Mars magnetic field precludes the use of a compass for navigation, so it would require a solar tracker camera integrated to JPL's visual inertial navigation system. Some additional inputs might include gyros, visual odometry, tilt sensors, altimeter, and hazard detectors. It would use solar panels to recharge its batteries."<p>[0] <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/mars-helicopter-to-fly-on-nasa-s-next-red-planet-rover-mission" rel="nofollow">https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/mars-helicopter-to-fly-on...</a><p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Mars_Helicopter_Scout" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Mars_Helicopter_Scout</a>
So if it falls on its side, something that has a probably a 50% chance of happening, can it get back up?<p>I always thought that for exploring another planet, you shouldn't really use something with wheels or wings.<p>Something different like small "jumping robots" would make a lot more sense in a place where you have literally the ability to do 0-hardware maintenance.<p>Instead of a single expensive flying robot, why not send a fleet of these little small jumping-robots instead, to more quickly and cheaply explore the area: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4ZZQkcNEo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4ZZQkcNEo</a>
Very cool. They were trying to get NASA to allow them to send it when I worked at JPL a few years ago. NASA is very nervous about anything messing up the main focus of the mission.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Lab continues to excel at technology innovation in support of science.<p>Make bounce landing work on another planet.
Make powered landing on another planet routine.
Make remove vehicle operations on another planet routine.
Make soft landing with a rocket sky crane routine.
So why not a blimp? I did not see any mention why they did not consider this though they did mention the Soviets using balloons on Venus. Is the air too thin to support any sort of lighter than air vehicle?
It would be interesting to see how the helicopter handles potential dust storms which can have winds of up to 94 km/hr.[1]<p>1: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mars#Effect_of_dust_storms" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mars#Effect_of_dust...</a>
You know helicopters in Mars is totally Phillip K Dick material.<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_Time-Slip" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_Time-Slip</a>
Didn't see any mention on how it will be powered, are batteries even feasable?<p>I thought just keeping rovers warm enough to operate was quite energy consuming.
Looks like a more efficient and much faster way to explore the area if they can solve the thinner atmosphere but, if their missions are autonomous and it seems that can't be modified in real time, what happens with the mars storms?<p>I hope that they have a software to take measures if the air pressure or the light levels change suddenly.<p>Couldn't the differences in temperature between shadowed and sunny areas create turbulences?
Can't NASA test this in an artificial atmosphere low-pressure low-gravity room? Obviously there will be real-world concerns that are hard to simulate like slight damage from spacecraft landing and dust spun up when the copter takes off, but the article makes it sound like the low density is the big thing they're worried about.
Interesting that they didn't go the multirotor route, seems like it would cut down on development, complexity, and possibly weight. Maybe single axis counter-rotor was chosen for having a slightly better area/diameter to lift generating area ratio.
It will need smarts to fly and land, and land especially to save power while it awaits the next destination command. The land surveys can only see so much and if you land wrong on a even a small rock, you could get stuck top over
If this is the sort of experiment that is getting space on a rocket then I kind of wonder if NASA is out of ideas.<p>In other news, Hepatitis C is making a big comeback here in Denver. It's the sort of disease we used to laugh about being a "third world" problem back in the day. We don't use the term "third world" anymore, but we are becoming one nonetheless.<p>I can't stop thinking about what archaeologists will think about us in a thousand years, they will struggle so much to even come up with plausible theories, much less agree on them.