NASA's wheeled rovers have revealed an incredible amount about Mars. From learning about the planet's wet history and discovering the chemistry of its soil, to the puzzling presence of methane in its atmosphere, the rolling robots have been indispensable in painting a picture of one of Earth's closest neighbors. They are remarkable, but they can't cover a lot of ground -- slow movement is critical to prevent them from tumbling over a cliff or colliding with a rock.
But imagine if they could fly.
Strapping a set of wings to a robot on another planet would open up a whole new way to explore other worlds. "The ability to fly wherever you want, at great speed, for a closeup view without risk of damage from collision or fall, is a thrilling capability," says Alan Duffy, a professor in astrophysics at Swinburne University in Australia.
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