According to a recent study from the University Politehnica Bucuresti (UPB), a Martian Inspection Drone (MID) could explore lava tubes on Mars. The MID would be inspired by the Inginuity helicopter and could locate, enter, and study lava tubes

Helicopters could also:

• Act as route-finders for rovers 
• Examine areas for sampling desirability 
• Hover next to features like crater walls 
• Open up other regions of Mars for surface exploration Helicopters could also enter potential subsurface voids or lava tubes on Mars, which are difficult or untraversable terrains for rovers. Lava tubes form on terrestrial pahoehoe lava flows and also occur on the Moon, Mars, and probably Venus and Mercury. Collapsed lava tubes appear as long sinuous troughs known as rilles, and cave “skylights” appear as nearly circular features on the surface of Mars. 

In a recent study from the University Politehnica Bucuresti (UPB), a team of engineers described how an autonomous Martian Inspection Drone (MID) inspired by the Inginuity helicopter could locate, enter, and study these lava tubes in detail

According to a recent study from the University Politehnica Bucuresti (UPB), a Martian Inspection Drone (MID) could locate, enter, and study lava tubes on Mars. The MID is inspired by the Inginuity helicopter

Lava tubes are natural caverns that form when lava flows over-crust to create subsurface rivers of lava. As the lava drains, an open conduit is left behind

Orbital photographic and remote sensing surveys of the Moon and Mars show evidence of lava tube formation. Collapsed lava tubes appear as long sinuous troughs known as rilles, and cave “skylights” appear as nearly circular features on the surface of Mars. 

In the future, flocks of small autonomous rovers could explore these underground environments

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. The helicopter has completed 71 flights, far exceeding its original five-flight demonstration

The drone uses a monocular camera to survey the Martian terrain and locate the entrance to the lava tube. It then conducts a visual inspection of the surroundings and returns to the rover for recharging

Martian Inspection Drone (MID) can provide valuable data obtained by air inspections of cave entrances, rocky ground, or hazardous terrains (see Fig. 7, Fig. 8). Romanian researchers have had a longstanding interest in aerial vehicles for Mars exploration

According to NASA, a one-way trip to Mars takes about nine months.A round-trip takes about 21 months, including a three-month wait on Mars for the planets to be in the right position for the return trip. 

Most estimates put the travel time at 150–300 days, or five to 10 months. The average is usually around seven months. The Viking 6 and Viking 7 spacecraft hold the two fastest travel times from Earth to Mars, at 155 and 128 days, respectively. 

According to Popular Science, human travelers would spend about three years on a journey to Mars if they used current technology. 

Spacecraft traveling at 39,600 kilometers per hour takes about seven months to reach Mars. However, the proposed Nuclear Thermal and Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NTNEP) could transport you in 45 days. 

Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth, so it takes longer for a spacecraft to travel there. The most efficient route for a spacecraft to reach Mars only occurs once every 26 months when the two planets are properly aligned.

The Alba Mons lava tubes may have the largest concentration of large lava tubes on Mars. 

Collapsed lava tubes on Mars are about 80 times larger than those on Earth, with diameters ranging from 130 to 1,300 feet

The skylight near the Martian volcano Pavonis Mons is estimated to have a diameter of 160–190 meters and a depth of at least 115 meters. 

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of a Martian lava tube’s mouth in 2020. The pit is about 150 feet (50 meters) across, so it’s likely that the underground tube is also at least this big

Some other features on Mars that look like tubes include:

• Ripples: Light-toned ridges that look like tubes, but are actually ripples of wind-blown material. These are seen all over Mars. 
• Crystals: The Curiosity team suspects that some tube features are crystals, or that crystals formed a mold in the rock that was later filled in by sedimentary material. 
• Lava channels: Molten rock can flow and create features that resemble stream channels

Yes, Mars has caves. In 2007, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered the first opening to a Martian cave. The cave’s roof had partially collapsed, creating a “skylight” that looks like a giant pit from above

Researchers have identified 1,029 potential cave candidates on Mars, including 349 potential lava tube skylights. The skylights are openings into the structures, and the tubes span a total length of about 1,250 kilometers. 

Some researchers have identified nine caves on Mars that could potentially serve as shelters for future astronauts

Some say that Martian lava tubes could support human settlements if they have a steady supply of food, water, power, and breathable air. The first humans to colonize Mars may be cave-dwellers, avoiding the harsh surface conditions. 

These rocky hollows are natural buffers against the harsh conditions of Mars. Some scientists think the lava tubes could be large enough to shelter the first human astronauts from the cosmic radiation that bombards the planet. 

However, others say that Mars is not a planet that is habitable for humans. Mars is believed to have lost its water when it lost its magnetic field around 4 billion years ago. Without an atmosphere, there was nothing to prevent Mars’ water from evaporating and then being lost to space. This radiation also made the existence of life at the surface of Mars unfeasible.

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