NASA is testing carbon fiber rotor blades for next-generation Mars helicopters. The blades are almost 4 inches (more than 10 centimeters) longer than those of Ingenuity. The blades are being tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a 25-Foot Space Simulator. 

NASA is also testing a new rotor design for future Mars helicopters. 

Ingenuity is a small autonomous helicopter that arrived on Mars on February 18, 2021. It is part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission

Ingenuity’s blades spin at 2,400 revolutions per minute (rpm). This is about 10 times faster than the speed required on Earth. The blades rotate in opposite directions.

The blades need to be large and rotate quickly to create enough lift in the thin Martian air. The blades need to rotate at about 250 radians per second. 

Ingenuity’s blades are about 4 feet long. They are made of carbon fiber and arranged into two rotors.

Flying a helicopter on Mars is difficult because the atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s. The air density on Mars is only about 1% of Earth’s. This means that the helicopter’s blades need to spin much faster to generate lift

Other challenges include: 

• Wind speeds: Researchers only had an estimate of the wind speeds, which was around 13 mph. 
• Temperature: It’s very cold on Mars. 
• Speed of sound: The speed of sound on Mars is about ¾ the speed of sound on Earth. If the blade tips get close to the speed of sound, they will experience a large increase in aerodynamic drag.

Here are some things to know about the Mars helicopter: 

• Ingenuity The helicopter’s name is Ingenuity. It’s an experimental flight test that’s independent of the rover’s science mission. 
• First powered flight Ingenuity was the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. 
• Milestones Ingenuity had a long list of milestones to pass before it could take off and land on Mars. 
• Size Ingenuity is 19 inches high and weighs 4 pounds. 
• Rotor speed Ingenuity’s rotors spin at 2,400 rpm, which is about five times faster than a helicopter on Earth. 
• Communication The helicopter communicates with the rover via a subsystem called the Mars Helicopter Base Station. 

Other things to know about Ingenuity include: 

• It’s not truly autonomous. 
• It’s dependent on the Perseverance rover. 
• It’s powered by a solar panel. 
• It keeps warm through the cold Martian nights. 
• It’s helped by Mars’ weak gravity. 
• It’s demonstrated the viability of aerial robots for planetary exploration.

NASA is testing next-generation Mars helicopter designs on both Earth and Mars. The new blades are longer, stronger, and have a different design than the Ingenuity helicopter’s blades. The blades are made of carbon fiber and reached near-supersonic speeds during testing. NASA believes the new blades could enable larger, more capable helicopters

Here are some details about the next-generation Mars helicopter blades: 

• Length: 10 centimeters (4 inches) longer than Ingenuity’s blades 
• Strength: Increased strength 
• Design: Different design 
• Speed: Reached near-supersonic speeds during testing 

NASA tested the new rotor at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The rotor spun at near-supersonic speeds (0.95 Mach).

For the next-generation Mars helicopters, NASA engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena are constructing blades that are slightly more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) longer than Ingenuity’s blades, along with exhibiting a separate design and increased strength, as well( full article source google)

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