During another test of the rotors of a Mars helicopter, “creativity” suddenly appeared problems. The engineers canceled the project, but there is already a new flight date.
Due to potential technical problems, NASA has postponed its first helicopter flight over Mars, which had been scheduled for Sunday. NASA said on Saturday (local time) that the rotor test of the Mars helicopter “creativity” at high speed was canceled prematurely due to indications of potential problems. Scientists are in the process of evaluating the data, then the test must be repeated. Therefore, the planned trip could take place next Wednesday at the earliest.
Originally, “Creativity” was supposed to ascend Sunday the first controlled helicopter flight in history over an alien planet. The 1.8-kilogram plane is supposed to rise vertically and take a picture of the “persistent” craft that landed on Mars in mid-February.
The flying experience is very challenging. The atmosphere on Mars accounts for only 1% of the density of the air on Earth. So the rotors have to rotate faster in order to enable ascent. The lower gravitational pull could significantly help Mars. A total of five helicopter flights were planned over the course of a month, with the helicopter moving horizontally over the planet.
Aircraft such as “creativity” can revolutionize space exploration because they can be used to explore more areas, and because of their surface structure, areas of strange celestial bodies are difficult to navigate.
