spacetoday.net: NASA to fly small helicopter on Mars 2020 rover mission

NASA to fly small helicopter on Mars 2020 rover mission

Posted: Sat, May 12, 2018, 6:14 PM ET (2214 GMT)
Mars Helicopter illustration (NASA)

NASA announced Friday that it will fly a small helicopter as a technology demonstration on the Mars 2020 rover mission. The Mars Helicopter, weighing less than 2 kilograms, will be deployed from the rover after landing and perform a series of flight tests over the course of the month. NASA sees the helicopter as demonstrating the ability of a vehicle to serve as an aerial scout, reconnoitering terrain in support of future rover missions. Some involved with the Mars 2020 project have been skeptical about including the helicopter, concerned that it will be a distraction to the overall mission to cache samples for later return to Earth.