Ornithopters on Mars

cloudwilliam writes "This article at Science News is reporting on how researchers at the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology are designing flying drones for future Mars missions that flap their wings like insects (drones...insects...get it? Right, sorry, that was bad). Apparently fixed and conventional rotary wing aircraft are impractical due to the thin air of Mars, but the light gravity makes large bug-like aircraft possible. They're calling them entomopters--from entomoi, junior high Greek for bugs with wings. Check it out." We've done lots of previous stories on aircraft for Mars exploration - until someone actually sends a mission with equipment on board, it's all speculation as to what designs might conceivably be used.

Comments

Why not simulate?

[RatOmeter]

I have a little trouble with your "it's all speculation as to what designs might conceivably be used."

Don't we already have a good idea of the density and composition of the red planet's atmosphere? If so, I would think it fairly trivial for a [government funded] interprise to setup a atmospheric test chamber; a kind of Mars Wind Tunnel for exercizing thin wind flyers.

Re:Why not simulate?

[vrt3]

The author of the X-Plane flight simulator, Austin Meyer, hacked it to simulate flying on Mars.

Quite an interesting read. Some excerpts:

I DID POSSIBLY THE MOST EXCITING THING I HAVE EVER DONE TONIGHT. (OK, technically I finished it THIS MORNING). As some of you may know, I have been gathering data on Martian atmosphere, gravity, surface "texture", and topography for X-Plane from various NASA sites (http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/mola.html, for example).

...

(Could I be the first human to fly a real-time flight simulaton of Mars? I have seen many "movies" of "flying" over Mars terrain, but NONE have been hooked to an actual realistic FLIGHT MODEL... has NASA done a REAL-TIME simulation of Mars flight in a PILOTED aircraft? Has ANYONE?) Well, I have for the last 6 hours, AND IT IS FRIGGIN FASCINATING.

...

So what sort of planes can fly on Mars? Not anything from Earth, that's for sure. Not enough lift or thrust. A Cessna or Boeing will just sit there on the ground without even moving. Put them in the air and they drop like beveled bricks with no wings. Both of my Mars-plane concepts are much like the U-2 Spyplane (designed to operate at around 100,000 ft, in simlar density air) one with a HUGE high-bypass jet engine built AROUND THE FUSELAGE, and another with a smaller rocket engine in the tail, like the X-15. The rocket plane has a lower-thrust engine, with plenty of fuel, for about 30 minutes of flight or so... the JET plane can fly for hours!

Re:Why not simulate?

[Cmdr Taco (luser)]

Thank you very much for that link. I'd like to quote another apropos section if I may...

"Bottom line: All airplanes on Mars are AIRBORNE TITANICS: Ripping blissfully along, unaware of their impending doom due to their inability to TURN against their tremendous inertia.

Landings are impossible without arresting gear. If you can work the flare out right (it IS possible with advance planning) then you will touch down doing about 400 mph. Now how do you stop?

That, and other portions, support my earlier statement that low speed aerodynamic flight is problematic. OTOH, perhaps the "flapping insect" designs can generate the lift necessary. If so, I suspect they'll had to flap as quickly as a hummingbird.

Loads of historical fun!

[Ashurbanipal]

Wouldn't it be cool to see how many pre-industrial flying machine designs would or wouldn't work on Mars?

A Leonardo da Vinci design that you can get a kit for.

Or how about one of these things?

'Course, there might be a shortage of lumber on Mars, what with the lack of trees and all. We'd have to be sure to bring lots of supplies.

Flyers based on bees

[Target Drone]

Discovery.com also has an interesting article about creating Mars aircraft based on bees.