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The Sky-Sailor is a concept for a robotic aircraft with embedded solar cells on its wings, conceived in 2004 by the ETH Zurich in Zurich. It is hoped it would be able to study the Martian surface. Sky-Sailor would be an autonomous, solar-powered Mars aircraft that would fly for one Martian day of 24 hours and scan features on the surface of Mars. If this project is funded and developed, it would be able to take detailed pictures of Mars, especially in places where wheeled rovers can not go."Mission to Mars." Swiss News 3 Mar. 2004: 1+. Gale Virtual Reference Library. 14 October 2009
Two major challenges for small autonomous aircraft for Mars are to keep the weight down, such as batteries and electronics, and designing the autonomous control systems for directing the flight. One design consideration is the amount of solar power available over the course of a Martian day, and another is the battery storage capacity and the efficiency and weight of the solar cells. One reason for a small size was to facilitate its transport to planet Mars from Earth.
The Sky-Sailor concept has a wingspan of about 3.2 meters and it weighs approximately 2.5 kilograms. Aerodynamic studies suggest the power needed for the aircraft to fly at a low altitude is about 13.2 watts.
In 12 hours it could cover about 1,700 km (1,050 miles) over Mars, with the flight culminating in a crash landing.
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