The first helicopter for flights to Mars from NASA has been successfully tested

The aircraft Mars Helicopter will be sent to Mars with the new rover in 2020. He must arrive there

along with other research equipment inFebruary 2021. It is assumed that Mars Helicopter will make at least five short test flights. There are no plans to carry out scientific tasks with the help of a helicopter.

The development of a mini-helicopter weighing almost 2 kgconducted since 2013. It is equipped with solar panels for charging and a heating mechanism for the conditions of the cold planet. If the mission is successful, the United States will become the first country to launch an aircraft heavier than air on another planet.

In the near future, the device is waiting for new tests -he must prove himself capable of working in Martian conditions, where nighttime temperatures can drop to -90 ° C. In addition, engineers will test its ability to fly up to 90 seconds in a thin Martian atmosphere, where pressure is equivalent to pressure at an altitude of 30,500 meters on Earth, or 2.5 times higher than the record for flight height for an ordinary helicopter.

Earlier it was reported that NASA canceled the first ever spacewalk of the female duo of astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch due to the lack of space suits suitable for them.