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History Repeats Itself – Part of the Wright Brothers’ Plane to Fly on Mars

Wright Brothers' Plane - pixabay

When NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars in February, it carried a bit of the Wright brothers’ first airplane with it. A swatch of fabric from the airplane, known as the Flyer, is secured beneath the solar panels of an experimental helicopter, which in turn is strapped to the underside of the rover, according to a statement from NASA. The helicopter, called Ingenuity, is attached to the rover for now, but soon, if all goes well, scientists will pilot the aircraft remotely over the surface of the Red Planet. This flight will be attempted “no earlier than April 8,” … Read more

SPACE: SpaceX Could Launch Unmanned Mission to Mars in 2024

SpaceX Starship

SpaceX is almost ready to start building a permanent human settlement on Mars with its massive Starship rocket. The private spaceflight company is on track to launch its first uncrewed mission to Mars in as little as four years from now, SpaceX’s founder and CEO Elon Musk said Friday (Oct. 16) at the International Mars Society Convention. “I think we have a fighting chance of making that second Mars transfer window,” Musk said in a discussion with Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin. You can watch a replay of the talk here. That window Musk referred to is a launch opportunity … Read more