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Microflyers on Mars

Posted by michael on from the float-like-a-butterfly dept.

Birds of Fire writes: "This article on Yahoo reports on work in Australia to develop tiny aircraft for Mars exploration. "Aircraft weighing as little as a chocolate bar could one day be darting over the surface of Mars with the agility of dragonflies and the eyes of bees."

1 of 17 comments (clear)

  1. C'mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    We've seen lots of articles about robots that "may" (perhaps, someday, possibly...) help us explore Mars. It's fun and all, but let's see some FOLLOW-THROUGH. NASA seems great at hatching all sorts of neat ideas, but it doesn't seem capable of committing anything to them (is that the ISS's fault?).

    Why can't we experiment, and send several of these cool robot (insect-like ones, fliers, rolling-balls, rovers, etc.) to Mars the Moon or whereever and see how they really work out? Otherwise isn't this lack of follow-through just so much wanking?