Could This Become the First Mars Airplane?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Could This Become the First Mars Airplane?

When an aircraft makes its first flight on Mars in the 2020s, a NASA Armstrong innovation may have made it possible.

A prototype of the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-m, which is a flying wing aircraft with a twist, is planned to be ready for launch from a high altitude balloon later this year. The Prandtl–m will be released at about at 100,000 feet altitude, which will simulate the flight conditions of the Martian atmosphere, said Al Bowers, NASA Armstrong chief scientist and Prandtl-m program manager.

Read more...

[BeastieRunner]

Looks like the UFOs in my dad's comic book collection!

[+DieChecker]

Looks like the UFOs in my dad's comic book collection!

The classics never go out of style.

[Zalmoxis]

Looks like a boomerang. I imagine that the physics of flying aircraft on Mars requires a different design than that of Earth aircraft.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

I imagine that the physics of flying aircraft on Mars requires a different design than that of Earth aircraft.

Nope, the physics is exactly the same. The very thin atmosphere requires a large wing, just as is the case with high altitude aircraft like the U2, but, as the article points out, the main design breakthrough is the ability of this aircraft to be folded up so that it can actually be transported to Mars.