Ordinary airplanes on Mars have a take off speed of well over 200 mph. The light gravity helps but the 1% of Earth's atmosphere is a major handicap. That is possible. But you need powerful engines or a long runway.
By comparison, a Cessna 150 typically takes off at a speed of about 70 - 75 mph How to Take off in a Cessna 150 and Climb to Cruising Altitude at Best Rate of Climb
A 747 takes off at 160-180 mph - just from this pilot forum Boeing 747-400 Takeoff And Landing Speeds Tech Ops Forum
So - a light aircraft on Mars - it would need to fly rather faster than a 747 on Earth - and need a longer runway - to take off.
So - not impossible but won't just take off and land almost anywhere as you can on a light aircraft here on the Earth.
However you can use balloons
Also because the Mars atmosphere is so very thin, then - unlike Earth - you could probably fly straight to orbit in an airship which gradually accelerates to orbital velocity using ion thrusters or similar
That is - if the orbital airship idea works - JP Aerospace have been working on them slowly and steadily for many years now - on Earth would be a two stage process but they plan to put the high platform at a level where the atmospheric pressure is similar to the Mars surface which is why I think that if their plan succeeds here on Earth it might well work on Mars.
Also Entomopters have some potential - works like a bumble bee - sort of Mars equivalent of a helicopter but on Mars you can flap really large wings rapidly and it is effective like a bumble bee.
For that matter, already has a vacuum, so maglev is an obvious idea for transport. That would work on the Moon even better though.
I think personally that Maglev is the most likely method for super fast surface transport on the Moon - and on Mars also if we did ever decide to colonize or settle Mars.
It has the additional advantage that you can travel in a tube shielded from cosmic radiation. I'm sure if the Moon was settled, then settlers there would minimize their exposure to cosmic radiation as much as they possibly could - as who wants to die of cancer, even if the risk is only a few percent? Same surely would be true for Mars if it was ever settled.
Though - before we think of sending a human to the Mars surface, we need to find out if there is life on Mars already and carefully work through the effects of introducing Mars microbes to the planet.
Either that or find a way for humans to explore Mars without introducing Earth life to the planet - as far as I know the only way to do that with any degree of confidence is to explore it by autonomous robots or telerobotically from orbit - apart from anything else - because risk of a crash landing contaminating Mars with Earth life in any human mission to the surface.
See also
Soaring, Buzzing, Floating, Hopping, Crawling And Inflatable Mars Rovers - Suggestions For UAE Mars Lander
By comparison, a Cessna 150 typically takes off at a speed of about 70 - 75 mph How to Take off in a Cessna 150 and Climb to Cruising Altitude at Best Rate of Climb
A 747 takes off at 160-180 mph - just from this pilot forum Boeing 747-400 Takeoff And Landing Speeds Tech Ops Forum
So - a light aircraft on Mars - it would need to fly rather faster than a 747 on Earth - and need a longer runway - to take off.
So - not impossible but won't just take off and land almost anywhere as you can on a light aircraft here on the Earth.
However you can use balloons
Also because the Mars atmosphere is so very thin, then - unlike Earth - you could probably fly straight to orbit in an airship which gradually accelerates to orbital velocity using ion thrusters or similar
That is - if the orbital airship idea works - JP Aerospace have been working on them slowly and steadily for many years now - on Earth would be a two stage process but they plan to put the high platform at a level where the atmospheric pressure is similar to the Mars surface which is why I think that if their plan succeeds here on Earth it might well work on Mars.
Also Entomopters have some potential - works like a bumble bee - sort of Mars equivalent of a helicopter but on Mars you can flap really large wings rapidly and it is effective like a bumble bee.
For that matter, already has a vacuum, so maglev is an obvious idea for transport. That would work on the Moon even better though.
I think personally that Maglev is the most likely method for super fast surface transport on the Moon - and on Mars also if we did ever decide to colonize or settle Mars.
It has the additional advantage that you can travel in a tube shielded from cosmic radiation. I'm sure if the Moon was settled, then settlers there would minimize their exposure to cosmic radiation as much as they possibly could - as who wants to die of cancer, even if the risk is only a few percent? Same surely would be true for Mars if it was ever settled.
Though - before we think of sending a human to the Mars surface, we need to find out if there is life on Mars already and carefully work through the effects of introducing Mars microbes to the planet.
Either that or find a way for humans to explore Mars without introducing Earth life to the planet - as far as I know the only way to do that with any degree of confidence is to explore it by autonomous robots or telerobotically from orbit - apart from anything else - because risk of a crash landing contaminating Mars with Earth life in any human mission to the surface.
See also
Soaring, Buzzing, Floating, Hopping, Crawling And Inflatable Mars Rovers - Suggestions For UAE Mars Lander
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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