SPACE WIRE
Swiss scientists bid to fly plane on Mars
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 28, 2004
Scientists in Switzerland are developing an ultra-lightweight plane which could soar through the skies of Mars in about a decade's time, with the help of balsa wood and model aircraft knowhow.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) chose the small solar-powered, "intelligent", glider as a low-cost but high technology project for the European Space Agency's (ESA) "Startiger III" technology programme, scientist Samir Bouabdallah said Wednesday.

The group is studying the feasibility of a solar-powered aircraft with a wing span of up to three metres (nine feet) and weighing a few kilogrammes, which could be delivered to the Red Planet by a space probe.

"Sky-sailor" would fly perpetually on its own in the low density and low gravity of the Martian atmosphere, taking pictures of the surface from close in and carrying other sensors.

Bouabdallah claimed that an aircraft would have greater range than the US rovers currently bumping across the surface of Mars and produce even clearer images than the European Mars Express satellite orbiting the planet, at far less cost.

But there are major challenges ahead, including energy consumption, the unfavourable Martian atmosphere -- which is 80 times thinner than earth's and less capable of sustaining flight -- and the lack of a pilot.

Signals from earth to Mars are delayed because of the distance between the two planets, making immediate flight commands impossible.

"It's virtually unthinkable to pilot the plane from earth, it will be essential for it to have autonomous control," Bouabdallah told AFP.

The Swiss scientists are aiming to test a first prototype made out of balsa wood -- which is commonly used in model gliders -- and high-tech carbonfibre in Switzerland this summer.

"The aim is to fly for 24 hours or to achieve perpetual flight," Bouabdallah explained.

A second prototype a few months later would fly at altitudes of 15 to 35 kilometres (nine to 22 miles) to simulate conditions in the Martian atmosphere.

Walter Engel, a veteran model glider specialist who holds the world record for flight duration by a model aircraft, and a Swiss aerospace firm which makes pilotless drones, are also involved in the project.

The scientists, many of whom are involved in pioneering solar energy or aerospace projects, hope to convince ESA to give the green light to fund a full-blown flight mission to Mars.

"If it's a success, maybe it'll take 10 years," Bouabdallah said.

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