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Could the Tumbleweed Rover Dominate Mars?

Posted by timothy on from the now-the-old-tumbleweeds-look-suspicious-too dept.

astroengine writes "Mars has been visited by orbiters, landers and rovers, but could the future of Martian exploration be inspired by a wind-blown sphere? NASA and other research institutions have been developing the Mars Tumbleweed rover for the last decade, but with the help of the Planetary Science Institute, the Tumbleweed is now vying for some serious funding to further develop the technologies required. Although the Tumbleweed would be wholly dependent on the prevailing winds on the Martian surface, the lightweight and relatively cheap design could lead the way for a 'swarm' of independent Tumbleweeds to explore vast regions of the planet (video link). In 2003 and 2004, NASA even tested an inflatable Tumbleweed prototype on Greenland and Antarctica — it traversed hundreds of miles with ease, continually relaying location and environmental data."

3 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Is the atmosphere dense enough? by wisebabo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm sure they've thought about this, but is the atmosphere really dense enough to push something carrying any sort of payload around? I think atmospheric pressure is less than 1% of earth's whereas gravity is still 1/2 that of earth's. Will it have a "pump" for slow leaks? Self sealing against punctures?

    On the other hand, if it really is light enough and the "fabric" is tough and heat resistant, maybe it can deorbit WITHOUT using a heat shield. Now that would really save a LOT of weight and might make the whole idea worthwhile. I seem to remember there were once emergency escape plans for astronauts that essentially had them envelope themselves in a (very) large foam shield. If you make it light and fluffy enough it might "float" down from space. (Or glide down in the case of the paper(!) airplane that a japanese astronaut at the ISS flew back to earth).

    Just curious.

    1. Re:Is the atmosphere dense enough? by bcmm · · Score: 5, Interesting

      But the funny thing is that it would be technically possible to land a winged aircraft on Mars.

      I seem to recall reading something interesting about that several years ago - it claimed that a Martian aircraft would have to look pretty interesting - due to the lower density of the atmosphere and the lower speed of sound, a prop-driven fixed-wing or helicopter would have to break the sound barrier with the tip of its blades, which is a little impractical.

      P.S. Found the article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17022932.700-flight-of-the-martian-bee.html

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      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
  2. Re:Mod Parent Up! by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 5, Insightful
    People who oppose Democrats != Republicans

    People who oppose Republicans != Democrats

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