Could This Be The First Aeroplane On Mars?

NASA is testing a prototype aeroplane that could one day hitch a ride to Mars.

It would be used to take high-resolution photos of the planet's surface to look for landing sites for manned missions.

The proposed Prandtl-m aircraft is a dainty flying-wing-style plane based on a radio-controlled glider designed by engineering students on a NASA internship in 2013.

It is due to be launched from a high-altitude balloon later this year, which mimics the conditions found in Mars' atmosphere.

It will weigh just 1.2kg thanks to a body made of either carbon fibre or fiberglass.

The long-term goal is to modify the design with foldable wings so that it can fit into a mini satellite known as CubeSat.

The CubeSat would then be attached to the next Mars rover, deploy into the atmosphere, and glide down to Mars' surface while taking high-res photos as it flies.

NASA scientist Al Bowers said: "The Prandtl-m could overfly some of the proposed landing sites for a future astronaut mission and send back to Earth very detailed high-resolution photographic map images that could tell scientists about the suitability of those landing sites."

The development team says the aircraft could reach the Red Planet by around 2024.

NASA has ambitions to send man to Mars by 2030.