Personnel on a manned Mars base will almost certainly need the capacity to do various sorts of reconnaissance and remote measurements. Often times these needs may not be satisfied by an orbiting satellite or by a ground-based vehicle. It is in this case that an unmanned aerial vehicle will be an invaluable part of a Mars mission. It is both possible and cost effective to transport a vehicle of this type to Mars and use it on the Martian surface. The plane would be very similar to those used by hobbyists and to those being developed by the US Army for overhead battlefield reconnaissance. The primary problem with this approach is the difficulty in generating enough lift to get the plane off 19 the ground and keep it in flight due to the thin Martian atmosphere. The first step to this is using a small solid rocket booster to get the plane to the desired altitude. This eliminates the need for a takeoff runway and solves much of the lift problem. Furthermore, by selecting lightweight materials and designing a properly sized propeller and wing surface, a typical engine can generate enough lift to keep the plane in flight. The propeller will be driven by an electric motor rather than the more common combustion engine because the lack of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere would preclude the use of a combustion engine, and because of the difficulties of transporting or creating fuel. Thus it is feasible to take a small lightweight remote-controlled plane to Mars, allowing crews to make use of aerial cameras to do surveillance before an off-base mission.

Robotic Exploration