NASA has made great progress thanks to the technological equipment it used in its mission to Mars. We can say that it pushes the limits, especially with the Ingenuity mini helicopter, which is in the Perseverance reconnaissance vehicle and can fly when necessary and transfer what it sees around to the base in the world.
However, a recent study has revealed a possibility that people like. Due to the thin atmosphere on Mars, helicopter blades cutting the air can cause the air to change color. Here are the details…
Helicopters flying over Mars can turn the sky blue!
Many researchers have pondered over this, as this glow effect, where helicopters can be surrounded by blue, is an interesting and intriguing topic. William Farrell, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who came to the fore with his work on the subject, said in a statement:
The faint glow will be most visible in the evening when the background sky is darker. NASA’s experimental Ingenuity helicopter is not flying during this time. But future drones could clear for evening flight and seek out that glow.
The electrical currents produced by the rapidly rotating blades in UAVs are too small to perform this process in the Martian atmosphere. These do, however, offer the opportunity for us to do some additional work to improve our understanding of the accumulation of an electric charge called triboelectric charge.
Triboelectric charge is actually a type of static electricity, when two materials rub against each other, small electric charges build up to form a charge. For example, when you bring a balloon, plastic comb or pencil close to your head after rubbing, your hair will take off and try to approach this object.
As the blades of helicopters flying in the Martian atmosphere cut through the air, a similar load can build up on the rotor blades due to high dust levels. This situation continues until the atmosphere begins to conduct electricity. It then moves the payload away from the helicopter.
When this happens in the thin atmosphere of Mars, it can ensure that a helicopter has enough height to turn the air around it a blue to purple color. However, the researchers say that this is only an estimate and we will have to wait for the flight of large helicopters to test its accuracy.
What do you think about this subject? Don’t forget to share your views with us on the SDN Forum or in the comments!
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