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Bloomberg
NASA is working toward a future when humans will walk on the surface of Mars. But first it’s going to try flying a drone through the air.
The Mars Helicopter, a small, self-flying aircraft designed specifically for the Red Planet, will be included in the space agency’s next rover mission in 2020 to beam back a birds-eye view of Martian terrain.
The 1.8 kilogram chopper is “a high-risk, high-reward project,†the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.
“The ability to see clearly what lies beyond the next hill is crucial for future explorers,†Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said.
The views from a helicopter flying across Mars will also provide NASA with a stellar public relations tool as it seeks international support for sending humans to the planet in the 2030s or later.
Even if the aerial project flops on arrival, it won’t hurt the main Mars 2020 rover mission, which is scheduled for launch in the summer of that year to land in February 2021.