Sky-Sailor

The Sky-Sailor is a concept for a robotic aircraft with embedded solar cells on its wings, conceived in 2004 by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. It is hoped it would be able to study the Martian surface.[1] Sky-Sailor would be an autonomous, solar-powered Mars aircraft that would fly for one Martian day of 24 hours and scan features on the surface of Mars.[2] If this project is funded and developed, it would be able to take detailed pictures of Mars, especially in places where wheeled rovers can not go.[3]

  1. ^ Greggs, Jessica (21 January 2009). "Solar-powered plane will gaze down on Mars". New Scientist.
  2. ^ Noth, André; Leutenegger, Stefan; Siegwart, Roland; Engel, Walter (17 June 2009). "Designing solar airplanes for continuous flight". SPIE.
  3. ^ "Mission to Mars." Swiss News 3 Mar. 2004: 1+. Gale Virtual Reference Library. 14 October 2009