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Flying a helicopter on Mars? Science peeps, make science words at us!!!

Started by Spinachcat, August 31, 2019, 11:15:46 PM

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Spinachcat

August 31, 2019, 11:15:46 PM
Mars has 1% of Earth's atmosphere, yet we're sending a helicopter to Mars.
https://azertag.az/en/xeber/Mars_helicopter_drone_installed_on_NASAs_next_Red_%20%20Planet_rover-1323850
https://www.geek.com/news/nasa-attaches-solar-powered-helicopter-to-mars-2020-rover-1802260/

Here's a NASA video clearly edited and scored by Michael Bay!

[video=youtube;oOMQOqKRWjU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOMQOqKRWjU&t=1s[/youtube]

Explain science peeps!!!!

How exactly do you fly in such thin air AND around such fine dust?

GeekyBugle

#1
September 01, 2019, 12:41:21 PM
I'll let a scientist that made the calculations answer your questions.

[video=youtube;2xSDBNzAtPs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xSDBNzAtPs[/youtube]

[video=youtube;NGAIUlSw0yg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGAIUlSw0yg[/youtube]
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

― George Orwell

Omega

#2
September 09, 2019, 04:29:54 PM
Yup. He was skeptical at first and then did the calculations and lo and behold it can work.

The main factors the lightness of the flyer and Mars' lower gravity.

It is similar to the conundrum of how bugs in perhistoric eras could get so big. Earth long ago apparently had more oxygen and a slightly thicker atmosphere that made it possible.

What doesnt work on present day earth can work under alien environs with the right set up.

There are a few old Sci-fi stories that explore the idea of colonists on the Moon being able to fly within habitats with man powered wings due to the lower gravity. Rendezvous with Rama has an explorer use an ultralite man powered plane originally intended for sport flying, (on Mars the Moon I think?) to explore the interior of Rama. It works due to Rama's lack of real gravity.

deadDMwalking

#3
September 10, 2019, 09:42:29 AM
What-if covered something similar.

QuoteX-Plane tells us that flight on Mars is difficult, but not impossible. NASA knows this, and has considered surveying Mars by airplane. The tricky thing is that with so little atmosphere, to get any lift, you have to go fast. You need to approach Mach 1 just to get off the ground, and once you get moving, you have so much inertia that it's hard to change course--if you turn, your plane rotates, but keeps moving in the original direction. The X-Plane author compared piloting Martian aircraft to flying a supersonic ocean liner.

Our Cessna 172 isn't up to the challenge. Launched from 1 km, it doesn't build up enough speed to pull out of a dive, and plows into the Martian terrain at over 60 m/s (135 mph). If dropped from four or five kilometers, it could gain enough speed to pull up into a glide--at over half the speed of sound. The landing would not be survivable.
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