Flight Dynamics of Mars Helicopter

Starting with the first attempted flybys of Mars in the 1960s,
human exploration of the Red Planet has evolved through
ever-more sophisticated means, with the use of orbiters,
stationary landers, and more recently rovers that have traveled
over distances of tens of kilometers in search of new
knowledge. Yet, despite discussion since the early days of
space exploration, no mission has so far attempted to unlock
the aerial dimension of Mars exploration through the
use of atmospheric flyers.
This could be about to change, as NASA is currently considering
sending a small helicopter to the Martian surface as
part of a future mission, as a technology demonstration to
verify the feasibility and utility of using helicopters for future
Mars exploration.
The use of helicopters promises to bridge a resolution gap
in current Mars exploration capabilities—betweeen orbiters
providing large-area imagery at low resolution, and rovers
that provide detailed imagery limited by line-of-sight from the
current rover location. Paired with a rover, a helicopter can
act as a forward reconnaisance platform, helping to identify
promising science targets or mapping the terrain ahead of
the rover. Looking further ahead, helicopters may one day
carry their own science payloads to areas that are inaccessible
to rovers.