The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) has closely covered the development and operation of the NASA Mars Helicopter for more a quarter century. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter ended its mission in January 2024, but this page provides resources for the past, present and future of Martian rotorcraft.
The idea for a Mars rotorcraft is not new, with the first paper published in 1993. Interest at NASA Ames picked up in the late 1990s, and the agency suggested that the Society's 1999-2000 Student Design Competition topic be the "Development of Rotary-Wing Technologies for Use in Mars Exploration." The competition, sponsored that year by Sikorsky Aircraft and supported by NASA, was "to develop an autonomous rotorcraft for exploration of Mars. The mission was to be a proof-of-concept demonstration for rotary wing flight in the Martian atmosphere." The first-place winning design by the University of Maryland was very similar in appearance to Ingenuity (see www.vtol.org/mars).
Ingenuity was developed by NASA’s Joint Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The prime contractor was AeroVironment, with major suppliers Qualcomm, SolAero and Lockheed Martin Space, and technical assistance from NASA’s Ames and Langley Research Centers, and the University of Maryland. VFS awarded the Ingenuity team the Society’s 2022 Howard Hughes Award.
VFS Articles
- Ingenuity Flies Past Multiple Milestones, Vertiflite (download), Nov/Dec 2023
- Ingenuity and Beyond, Vertiflite (download), May/June 2023
- Collaboration Powered Success of NASA’s Mars Helicopter, Vertiflite (download), Jan/Feb 2022
- Continued Ingenuity: Mars Helicopter Flights Extended 30 Days, Vertiflite (download), July/Aug 2021
- Ingenuity Takes Off On Mars, Vertiflite, May/June, 2021
- NASA Mars Helicopter Team Striving for a “Kitty Hawk” Moment (pdf), Vertiflite, May/June 2020
- Martian VTOL Research Studies (pdf), Vertiflite, July / August 2018
VFS Papers & Presentations
- Blade Shape Optimization of Mars Helicopter Exploring Pit Craters, Masahiko Sugiura, Keita Kimura, Akira Oyama, Hideaki Sugawara, Yasutada Tanabe, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; Masahiro Kanazaki, Yuki Kishi, Daisuke Kikuchi, Tokyo Metropolitan University; Makoto Sato, Kota Yoshikawa, Yuta Buto, Kogakuin University; Takuma Minajima, Takuma Minajima, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Presented at VFS 78th Annual Forum & Technology Display, Ft. Worth, TX, May 10-12, 2022.
- Taking Flight with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter - First Flight on Another Planet, Jaakko Karras, NASA. Presented at the VFS 9th Annual eVTOL Symposium, San Jose, CA, Jan 25-27, 2022.
- Hover and Forward Flight Performance Modeling of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, Cuyler Dull, Lauren Wagner, Larry Young and Wayne Johnson, NASA Ames Research Center. Presented at the VFS Aeromechanics for Advanced Vertical Flight Technical Meeting, San Jose, CA, Jan 25-27, 2022.
- Aeromechanics of a Coaxial Mars Helicopter using High-Fidelity CFD/CA, Daniel Escobar, Inderjit Chopra, Anubhav Datta, University of Maryland. Presented at the AHS International 75th Annual Forum & Technology Display, Philadelphia, PA, May 13-16, 2019.
- Development of the Mars Helicopter Rotor System, Benjamin T. Pipenberg, Matthew T. Keennon, Sara A. Langberg, Jeremy D. Tyler, AeroVironment Inc. Presented at the AHS International 75th Annual Forum & Technology Display, Philadelphia, PA, May 13-16, 2019.
- Low Reynolds Number Airfoil Evaluation for the Mars Helicopter Rotor, Witold J. F. Koning, Ethan A. Romander and Wayne Johnson, NASA Ames Research Center. Presented at the AHS International 74th Annual Forum & Technology Display, Phoenix, Arizona, May 14-17, 2018.
- Vacuum Chamber Testing of 1.5 Foot Diameter Mars Rotor, Daniel Escobar, Inderjit Chopra, Anubhav Datta, Presented at the AHS Technical Conference on Aeromechanics Design for Transformative Vertical Flight, San Francisco, CA, Jan. 16–19, 2018.
- Generation of Mars Helicopter Rotor Model for Comprehensive Analyses, Witold J. F. Koning, Wayne Johnson and Brian G. Allan, Presented at the AHS Specialists’ Conference on Aeromechanics Design for Transformative Vertical Flight, San Francisco, California, USA, Jan. 16-18, 2018.
- Why Helicopters Can and Should Fly on Mars, Daniel Schrage, AHS Technical Conference on Unmanned Rotorcraft, Jan. 24-26, 2017.
- Engineering Studies into Vertical Lift Planetary Aerial Vehicles, Larry A. Young, Edwin W. Aiken, et. al, Presented at the AHS International Meeting on Advanced Rotorcraft Technology and Life Saving Activities, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan, Nov. 11-13, 2002.
- Experimental Investigation and Demonstration of Rotary-Wing Technologies for Flight in the Atmosphere of Mars, Young, L. A.; Aiken, E. W.; Derby, M. R.; Demblewski, R.; Navarrete, J., Presented at the 58th Annual Forum of the AHS International, Montreal, Canada, June 11-13, 2002.
- Vertical Lift — Not Just For Terrestrial Flight, Young, L.A., Presented at the AHS/AIAA/SAE/RaeS International Powered Lift Conference, Arlington, VA, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2000.
- Design Opportunities and Challenges in the Development of Vertical Lift Planetary Aerial Vehicles, Young, L.A., et al, Presented at the AHS Vertical Lift Aircraft Design Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 2000.
Posted Dec. 27, 2023