Novel Guidelines and Designs for Airfoils and Helicopter Blades for Mars Applications With Experimental Validation

The Rotor Optimization for the Advancement of Mars eXploration (ROAMX) project advances the design and validation of airfoils and blades for next-generation Mars rotorcraft. A comprehensive computational modeling and experimental campaign was conducted to address the unique low-density flight environment of Mars. An airfoil and rotor modeling and optimization framework tailored to Mars Reynolds and Mach number regimes was developed and applied to generate a portfolio of candidate geometries. A novel lift-generation mechanism was identified and experimentally validated, broadening the design space for airfoil and rotor performance. Airfoil performance was rigorously assessed through a combination of wind tunnel testing and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations under Mars representative flow conditions. Airfoil optimization resulted in airfoils that had a 25% increase in coefficient lift to drag ratio at the 75% radial station, compared to the clf5605 baseline airfoil (Ingenuity Mars Helicopter). A structural design methodology for Mars rotor blades was established and the strength of the rotor blades was verified via static pull testing at 110% of the centrifugal force experienced at a tip Mach number of 0.95. Facility enhancements at NASA Ames further expanded Mars rotorcraft testing capabilities, including the development of a state-of-the-art hover stand capable of high-accuracy performance measurements at very low pressure. Collectively, these efforts culminated in the demonstration of optimized rotor performance at Mars flight conditions, providing validated design tools, test infrastructure, and performance data to support future scientific and exploration rotorcraft missions on Mars. The full-scale ROAMX optimized rotor was tested and achieved a 29% increase in peak Figure of Merit, compared to the Ingenuity helicopter rotor, at the design density.