Phase II Final Report - NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts

Planetary Exploration Using Biomimetics
An Entomopter for Flight on Mars
used to power the electronics and other systems, the type and capabilities of the communications
system, the type and approach of the navigation and control system, the construction materials
used in the vehicle, and the landing and sampling approach.
Figure 2-7: Orbital Image of Surface Features on Mars
Figure 2-8: Image of Mars Surface from Pathfinder Lander
As a basis for the Entomopter design and analysis, a concise summary of the Mars environmental
conditions was assembled. Some of the more recent Mars science missions (particularly the
Pathfinder mission) have provided detailed information on various aspects of the Mars environment.
However, many aspects of that environment are still not well understood, so the information
provided in the following tables and figures represents the present state of knowledge. This
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Phase II Final Report