Fly-sized probe developed for NASA
Scientists have developed a swarm of Martian probes the size of a fly. Robots are levitating plates made of "nanocarton" that NASA can send to the Red Planet with the Mars Helicopter rover. This is stated in a study by scientists from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, published in the journal Advanced Materials.
In the summer of 2020, NASA plans to launch the Perseverance rover on Mars, on board of which the Mars Helicopter drone will be placed - it will be the first man-made aircraft that has ever flown to another planet.
According to NASA, the Mars Helicopter will not carry any tools and will not collect data about the planet: the main task of the device is to take to the air on Mars, where its composition is very different from the earth.
In a new work, the researchers proposed sending a swarm of small probes with Mars Helicopter, which are comparable in size and weight to a fruit fly. Devices consist of "nanocardboard" and levitate when bright light falls on them.
The probes consist of two layers of material - when one side of the device heats up under the influence of light and the other remains cold, air begins to circulate in the space between them, passing through corrugated channels. This allows the probe to rise into the air and levitate until the exposure to light ceases.
Tests of the apparatus in a near-Martian environment showed that it is really capable of flying into the air. Now researchers are trying to create miniature sensors that will allow the probe to collect data on the presence of water and methane on the planet - key signs of life.
In the summer of 2020, NASA plans to launch the Perseverance rover on Mars, on board of which the Mars Helicopter drone will be placed - it will be the first man-made aircraft that has ever flown to another planet.
According to NASA, the Mars Helicopter will not carry any tools and will not collect data about the planet: the main task of the device is to take to the air on Mars, where its composition is very different from the earth.
In a new work, the researchers proposed sending a swarm of small probes with Mars Helicopter, which are comparable in size and weight to a fruit fly. Devices consist of "nanocardboard" and levitate when bright light falls on them.
The probes consist of two layers of material - when one side of the device heats up under the influence of light and the other remains cold, air begins to circulate in the space between them, passing through corrugated channels. This allows the probe to rise into the air and levitate until the exposure to light ceases.
Tests of the apparatus in a near-Martian environment showed that it is really capable of flying into the air. Now researchers are trying to create miniature sensors that will allow the probe to collect data on the presence of water and methane on the planet - key signs of life.
