Researchers from MIT designed a flying saucer that can levitate on asteroids, the moon, and airless planetary surfaces. Here’s all about the new machine.
What is the flying saucer?
The ‘flying saucer’ is a new rover aimed at harnessing the moon’s natural charge. According to the study published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, this will enable hovering one meter over the surface. The rover’s wings are made of Mylar. Mylar is a natural material that is capable of holding the same charge as surfaces when above airless bodies.
Overall, the design helps in generating large repulsive fixes between the ground and the hovering vehicle. The system utilizes very little power, making it highly efficient. (banucciteam.com) According to NASA engineers, ”similarly charged surfaces should repel each other, with a force that lifts the glider off the ground.” However, according to experts, ”such a design would likely be limited to small asteroids. As larger planetary bodies would have a stronger, counteracting gravitational pull.”
Here’s what the new flying saucer can do
Moon has been the fascinated man as a symbol of love, power, prosperity. The formation of the celestial body took place about 4.5 billion years ago when a Mars-sized body and earth collided. According to Oliver Jia-Richards, a graduate student from MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, they are thinking of “using this like the Hayabusa missions that were launched by the Japanese space agency”. Jia-Richards is, so the lead author of the study.
“That spacecraft operated around a small asteroid and deployed small rovers to its surface. Similarly, we think a future mission could send out small hovering rovers to explore the surface of the moon and other asteroids,” he added. The technology is possible since the moon lacks an atmosphere, leading to the build-up of an electric field. This is possible due to direct exposure from the sun and surrounding plasma that will allow the rover to levitate on the moon.