MAGGIE is a compact fixed-wing aircraft with very high productivity efficiency powered by solar energy for flight in the Martian atmosphere with vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) capability.
NASA designs solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft for Mars mission
After the successful test flight of the Ingenuity helicopter, NASA proposed a new concept for a fixed-wing aircraft capable of flying over the Martian surface. This concept, known as Intelligent Aerial and Terrestrial Explorer of Mars (MAGGIE)was recently announced as part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.
MAGGIE is a compact fixed-wing aircraft with very high production efficiency powered by solar energy for flight in the Martian atmosphere. It can take off and land vertically (VTOL) thanks to its innovative deflected vortex technology with CoFlow Jet (CFJ).
MAGGIE can fly at Mach 0.25 with a CL lift coefficient of 3.5, nearly 10 times higher than conventional subsonic aircraft. This is a remarkable feat, considering the low density of the Martian atmosphere. The very high cruise CL, with a CL/CDc of 9, is made possible by the CFJ, which overcomes the low Reynolds number effect on Mars.
MAGGIE has a range of 179 km on a fully charged battery for 7.6 Martian days (sol) at an altitude of 1,000 meters. Its total autonomy is estimated at 16,048 km during a Martian year.
The representative MAGGIE mission aims to carry out three atmospheric and geophysical surveys that support different time scales of the Dynamic Mars science theme. These investigations include studying the origin and timing of the Martian core dynamo from the weak magnetic fields found in large impact basins, conducting a regional investigation into the source of methane signals detected by the Laser Spectrometer Tunable Mars Science Laboratory in Gale Crater and high-resolution subsurface water ice mapping at mid-latitudes where it was observed from orbit.
The study of the MAGGIE system suggests that the concept may be feasible, but further research, design and testing under Martian atmospheric conditions is needed in Phase I. If successful, MAGGIE could perform the first global-scale atmospheric mission to Mars and open up new possibilities for exploring almost the entire Martian surface.
Compared to other concepts, NASA says MAGGIE is the first to enable continuous exploration of this region of Mars and would represent a significant advance in their exploration of the Red Planet.
through www.nasa.gov
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2024-01-06 08:51:49
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