NASA's SkyFall Mars Helicopters Will Feature a Revolutionary Antenna Design

NASA's SkyFall Mars Helicopters will feature a revolutionary antenna design to detect frozen water on Mars. The antennas, known as Vivaldi, are designed to avoid interference with landings and breakage upon contact. They were tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and can withstand multiple landings. The antenna is miniaturized to fit within 15 cm of clearance, allowing it to operate in the electromagnetic spectrum. The team developed techniques to miniaturize the antenna further, making it about 1½ times longer than the helicopter's legs. The antenna is sheathed in polyester and layers of Vectran to survive the harsh Martian environment. The antenna can withstand twice as many landings as required for its primary mission with no loss of signal performance. The first big test campaign is complete, and the team is creating an engineering model for future testing. The SkyFall trio will fly over the Martian landscape to detect water sources using ground-penetrating radar. The antennas are designed to provide detailed images of the uppermost surface layers and detect shallow subsurface ice. The team's tests showed that the antenna can handle the stresses of flight and landing without losing its shape. The antenna's performance was verified through various tests, including bending and flexing, temperature changes, and electromagnetic testing. The antenna's success is a major milestone for the mission.

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