A PARAMETRIC STUDY OF THE DEPLOYABLE WING AIRPLANE FOR MARS EXPLORATION

A deployable airplane for Mars exploration offers the possibility to obtain high-resolution data over a wide range. This paper presents a conceptual design method for the deployable airplane for Mars. A parametric study was conducted to improve the performance. Feasible specifications of a deployable airplane are proposed as a result of the constructed method. The total mass and range of the proposed airplane are 7.8 kg and 54 km, respectively. Finally, effectiveness of future technology developments is quantitatively clarified to provide a guideline for development.