CNET News reports that NASA said Wednesday a pair of rotorcraft inspired by the Ingenuity helicopter “will be a key component of a mission to bring pristine Martian rock samples from the Jezero Crater to Earth.” The Mars Sample Return project “was going to involve a rover that could fetch the samples but would’ve required its own lander. The change to helicopters was made during the conceptual design phase of the mission.” NASA’s Perseverance rover is “gathering up small samples of Mars rocks and stashing them in tubes for safekeeping. The Mars Sample Return mission, or MSR, is a complex and ambitious project that’ll involve landing on Mars, picking up the tubes, rocketing them off the planet and delivering them to a spacecraft in orbit. NASA is working with the European Space Agency on the program.”
Full Story (CNET News)
Tag: helicopters
H145 to Attain MUM-T Capability
FlightGlobal reports that Airbus Helicopters “will offer H145 light-twins in future with manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability following a successful trial of the technology.” Aviation Week reports Airbus Helicopters “is offering its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) kit for international sale as live testing enters its second phase.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal); More Info (Aviation Week)
Helipass Encourages Open Market for eVTOL Growth
Aviation International News reports that Helipass “is in talks with its network of around 120 helicopter operators to encourage them to transition to electric aircraft.” Helipass “seeks to provide a user-friendly booking platform for customers and also software that operators can use to handle payments, fleet planning, and passenger records.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)