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Engineers secured a helicopter to the March 2020 rover before launching it next summer. And if it flies successfully, it will be the first plane to fly on another planet, NASA said.
The Mars helicopter, powered by solar energy, will be safely stowed under the vehicle until it lands at the Jezero crater, where scientists believe that it 's safe. water has flowed. The craft will detach from the rover and explore Mars from the air as the rover collects ground samples, NASA said.
If all goes well, the autonomous aircraft will make aerial views of Martian cliffs, caves and craters that the Earth's rover can not explore. And even if he does not take the plane, the rover can still collect important data on the surface.
NASA said it hoped that the helicopter would eventually carry tools around the planet and guide astronauts upon their arrival.
The rover is launched in July 2020 and it will arrive at the crater of Jezero only on February 18, 2021. But if the helicopter soars, it will offer an unpublished view of the red planet.
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