Scientists propose inflatable sailplane for Mars exploration

Mars exploration is a really difficult task because rovers move slowly and satellite images lack detail. To overcome this, researchers have proposed the idea of building an inflatable sailplane that will explore the Red Planet.

Researchers from University of Arizona have come forward with a concept that would incorporate multiple technologies to explore Mars – an inflatable sailplane to fly above Martian surface.

The sailplane will weight only 5kg and sport a rollable wingspan of 18.7ft. It is aimed at cruising high above the Martian landscape and survey the planet from a bird’s eye view, reported Futurism.

The plane would travel on a cubesat satellite. Then, a tiny atmospheric entry spacecraft would bring the plane down to the Martian surface where a telescopic boom would hold it up as it unfurls its rolled-up wing structure by pumping nitrogen gas into special compartments.

Furthermore, most of the wing structure will be covered in a UV-sensitive material that hardens when exposed to sunlight. After around an hour of UV-curing, the sailplane will have enough structural integrity to deploy. Then, a cold-gas propulsion system will let the plane take to the skies at an altitude of 5,900ft.

Also, apart from being used as a Mars explorer, the sailplane could also be used to assist other missions or even find suitable places for future human habitation on the Red Planet.

“The Mars sailplane concept proposed here provides a whole new avenue for accelerating exploration of the Martian surface at a fraction of the cost of previous Mars airplane concepts,” read the paper published in arXiv.