Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE)

Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer or MAGGIE is a proposed compact UAV fixed wing electric aircraft powered by solar energy to fly in the Martian atmosphere with vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) capability. The range of MAGGIE for a fully charged battery would be 179 kilometres (111 mi) at an altitude of 1,000 meters, the aircraft would land then and recharge its batteries with the solar cells on its wings and body. The total range per Martian year would be 16,048 kilometres (9,972 mi). Mars' atmosphere density is 6.35 mbar^[1] which is 160x thinner than Earth's atmosphere at 1013.2 mbar.^[2] During winter the global atmospheric pressure on Mars is 25% lower than during summer because some CO₂ from the atmosphere freezes into dry ice on the Martian polar ice caps. MAGGIE has a cruise lift coefficient CL of 3.5, nearly an order of magnitude higher than conventional subsonic aircraft to overcome the low density of the Martian atmosphere.^[3][4] The cruise Mach number of MAGGIE is 0.25, Mach speed on Mars is 546.4 mph at sea level, so cruising speed would be around 130 mph at elevation.^[5]

Missions

• Study of the origin and timing of the Martian core dynamo from the weak magnetic fields found in the large impact basins
• Investigation of the source of methane signals detected by the Tunable Laser Spectrometer on the Mars Science Laboratory in Gale crater
• Mapping of subsurface water ice at high resolution in the mid-latitudes

See also

• Ingenuity helicopter
• Google Earth / Google Mars
• Mars aircraft
• NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts

References