AFRL Researchers Test Mars Flyer Concept

  • Published
  • By Air Vehicles Directorate
  • AFRL/VA
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  AFRL research continues to play a critical role in the future of Mars exploration. Using the laboratory's Vertical Wind Tunnel (one of only two such facilities in the country), scientists from AFRL, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center, and the Naval Research Laboratory performed tests on a Mars Flyer model known as MATADOR--the Mars Advanced Technology Airplane for Deployment, Operations, and Recovery.

MATADOR is a versatile, folding-delta-wing vehicle designed for deployment high above the Mars surface; the delta (i.e., triangular-shaped) wings fold in and out, enabling the vehicle's transition from vertical descent to horizontal flight.

The wind tunnel tests simulated low-speed flight, similar to what would be encountered within the Mars atmosphere. The tests not only assisted the researchers in developing flight control algorithms for transitioning the vehicle from vertical descent to horizontal flight, but also allowed them to make key adjustments to the craft and verify computer-simulated data gathered from previous tests.

Throughout testing, the MATADOR model was suspended in the Vertical Wind Tunnel and subjected to upward-blowing winds reaching 14 to 17 mph, an environment which accurately simulated the vehicle's path through the Mars atmosphere during the critical first 30 seconds following the craft's emergence from its aeroshell.

As an unmanned air vehicle concept, MATADOR would fly over the surface of Mars, collecting vital data about the planet's surface and atmosphere. MATADOR would then transmit this information--which might include evidence of water or ice just below the planetary surface, evidence of methane-related processes in the atmosphere, or data pertaining to the structure and turbulent behavior of the atmosphere itself--back to researchers on Earth.

Its sturdy, folding-wing design allows MATADOR to deploy safely through the thin Mars atmosphere with the assistance of thrusters. Furthermore, the design facilitates a relatively controlled landing on the Mars surface for the vehicle once it has completed its flight, circumventing the need for riskier crash landings. In addition, because the design alleviates the need for heavier vehicle packaging, it enables the craft to carry more fuel or payload.