GREEN technology is not something usually associated with space exploration, but a solar-powered plane that could fly around Mars both day and night may change that.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich is developing the , a plane with solar cells on its wings. These would provide power during the day while also charging a battery to keep it aloft at night, says project leader . The team believe the Sky Sailor could scour the Martian surface from 1.5 kilometres up for places of interest that a rover might explore, relaying that information back to the lander directing the rover. It could also send images back to Earth.
One advantage of the Sky Sailor over other proposed flying planetary explorers is that once in the Martian atmosphere it would never need to touch the surface. This removes the hazards and high energy costs associated with take-off and landing, says Siegwart.
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The team has flown a prototype plane continuously for 27 hours 800 metres up in the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. Now it has applied for funding from the European Space Agency so that it can test the Sky Sailor at higher altitudes, where the conditions are more akin to those on Mars.
In the meantime, the plane could prove useful on Earth. Weighing only 2.5 kilograms, it could be launched by hand to monitor forest fires, for example.
