Helicopters flying on Mars may glow in the dark due to a strange phenomenon in the Martian atmosphere, according to NASA.
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The spinning blades on drones sent to alien worlds can cause tiny electrical currents to flow through the air, a NASA study suggests.
This process is the same one that causes the glow occasionally seen in aircraft on ships – otherwise known as St. Elmo's Fire.
"The faint glow would be most visible during the evening hours, when the sky is darker," said William Farrell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of the new study. "NASA's experimental helicopter Ingenuity does not fly during this time, but future drones could be cleared for evening flight and look for this glow."
He continued: “The electrical currents generated by the rapidly spinning blades on the drones are too small to pose a threat to the craft or the Martian environment, but they offer an opportunity to do some additional science to improve our understanding of the accumulation of electrical charge called ‘triboelectric charging.’”
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This type of charging occurs when friction is transferred between objects, similar to static electricity.
NASA researchers found that as the drone's blades spin, they interact with tiny dust grains in the Martian atmosphere, and interact more when the helicopter is closer to the surface. As the blades collide, the charge in the dust is transferred to create an electric field, building to higher levels until it reaches the point where it can conduct electricity.
This collapse is more likely on Mars than it would be on other planets, such as Earth.
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On Mars, the molecules that make up the atmosphere are not as dense as on Earth, which means that the free electrons that cause conduction can accelerate to high speeds before hitting another molecule – reaching a point where they can cause an “electron avalanche”.
However, the researchers want to emphasize that this is just a prediction, the actual result may not be strong enough.
Source of information: independent.co.uk
