MARTIAN AIRSHIPS
A new NASA study has the aim of exploring the Red Planet with the help of empty balloons
While the Martian rovers Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance have explored further afield than ever before, the process W is frustratingly slow. Curiosity’s top speed is only 200 metres per day, partly due to the difficulty of controlling a robot with a 20-minute round trip communications delay, limiting the reach of exploration. Numerous proposals have been put forward for various bodies in the Solar System using flying probes of various kinds. Free-flying balloons, dirigible airships, gliders and even hopping probes that jump across terrain have all been proposed, but NASA’s latest airship study is unique – it will fly on a vacuum lift.