Mars Helicopter Blades

Engineer Fernando Mier-Hicks inspects a test stand used to investigate the performance of next-generation Mars helicopter rotor blades at high speeds inside the 25-Foot Space Simulator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

The test campaign was funded by the agency’s Mars Exploration Program in pursuit of maximizing the capability of future aircraft flying at the Red Planet. Data from the tests indicate that the rotors could surpass the sound barrier without breaking apart.

A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The tests are a significant step forward in the development of next-generation Mars helicopters.