Is the atmosphere on Mars too thin for the Ingenuity helicopter to fly?
By Arthur Brice
Copy link
Copy featured image
NO
Mars' atmospheric volume is less than 1% of that on Earth and the Red Planet has less than the 16% oxygen found on Earth, but scientists have found ways to circumvent those limitations: the Ingenuity helicopter now on Mars is ultralight and has large rotor blades.
Helicopters basically lift by pushing air down -- lift is generated by the way the main rotor blades are formed so the air is pushed in a downward movement when the blades spin. As the air pressure changes, the helicopter lifts up.
So while a helicopter would need stronger lift capacity due to a thinner atmosphere, that is compensated for somewhat because there is less gravity on Mars -- the Red Planet has about one-third the gravity of Earth, according to NASA -- to hold it down.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
