NASA Takes Dual-Planet Approach to Testing Future Aircraft Designs
In a historic first, NASA has conducted testing of future aircraft designs on two different planets, with advanced rotor testing taking place on Earth and record-breaking flights performed by the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. This pioneering work in rotorcraft technology is playing a significant role in enhancing our understanding of flight in different atmospheric conditions and represents a major step forward in Mars exploration.
Engineers are pushing the boundaries of what is possible by conducting tests on Earth to improve the performance of future Mars helicopters. A new rotor, designed for next-generation Mars helicopters, was recently tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. At the same time, the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter achieved new altitude and airspeed records on the Red Planet during experimental flight testing.
“Our next-generation Mars helicopter testing has literally had the best of both worlds,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity’s project manager. “Here on Earth, you have all the instrumentation and hands-on immediacy you could hope for while testing new aircraft components. On Mars, you have the real off-world conditions you could never truly re-create here on Earth.” This includes a whisper-thin atmosphere and significantly less gravity than on Earth.
The next-generation carbon fiber rotor blades being tested on Earth are almost 4 inches longer than those used on the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, with greater strength and a different design. NASA believes that these blades could enable larger and more capable Mars helicopters. However, as the blade tips approach supersonic speeds, vibration-causing turbulence can quickly become problematic.
To simulate Martian conditions on Earth, engineers utilized JPL’s 25-foot wide, 85-foot-tall space simulator for three weeks in September. The team monitored sensors, meters, and cameras as the blades endured run after run at ever-higher speeds and greater pitch angles.
“We spun our blades up to 3,500 rpm, which is 750 revolutions per minute faster than the Ingenuity blades have gone,” said Tyler Del Sesto, Sample Recovery Helicopter deputy test conductor at JPL. “These more efficient blades are now more than a hypothetical exercise. They are ready to fly.”
Meanwhile, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has surpassed all expectations. Initially slated for no more than five flights, the helicopter has now exceeded its planned 30-day mission by 32 times and has flown 66 times. The team has been able to achieve unprecedented achievements, doubling the maximum airspeed and altitude, increasing the rate of vertical and horizontal acceleration, and even learning to land slower.
“Over the past nine months, we have doubled our max airspeed and altitude, increased our rate of vertical and horizontal acceleration, and even learned to land slower,” said Travis Brown, Ingenuity’s chief engineer at JPL. “The envelope expansion provides invaluable data that can be used by mission designers for future Mars helicopters.”
The team has also been experimenting with Ingenuity’s landing speed, demonstrating that the helicopter can land at speeds 25% slower than originally planned. In December, after solar conjunction, Ingenuity is expected to perform two high-speed flights during which it will execute a special set of pitch-and-roll angles designed to measure its performance.
Ingenuity, initially a technology demonstration, has proven that flight is possible on Mars and has entered an operations demonstration phase to show how aerial scouting could benefit future exploration of Mars and other worlds.
The achievements of both the advanced rotor testing on Earth and the record-breaking flights by the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter mark a significant leap forward in rotorcraft technology and Mars exploration. As NASA continues to push the boundaries of flight in different atmospheric conditions, the possibilities for future Mars exploration are becoming increasingly exciting.