Preparing for First Flight on Mars

With its eye on Mars, NASA Armstrong has been working on a prototype it refers to as the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-m, which is “a flying wing aircraft with a twist.” It is planned to be ready for launch from a high-altitude balloon later this year and will be released at about 100,000 ft. That altitude will allow it to operate in similar flight conditions as the Martian atmosphere, according to Al Bowers, NASA Armstrong Chief Scientist and Prandtl-m Program Manager.