page_title: Mars aircraft
section_title: Other aircraft and airborne devices
hierarchical_section_title: Mars aircraft / Other aircraft and airborne devices
caption_attribution_description: English: The Viking aeroshell which protected the lander during its entry into the Martian atmosphere.
context_page_description: A Mars aircraft is a vehicle for flying in the atmosphere of Mars. So far, Mars lander entry, descent, and landing systems have passed through the atmosphere. Aircraft may provide in situ measurements of the atmosphere of Mars, as well as additional observations over extended areas. A long-term goal is to develop piloted Mars aircraft.
  Compared to Earth, the air is thinner at the surface but the gravity is lower. Mars air, consisting mostly of CO
  ₂ gas, is over 50% denser than Earth air adjusted to equal pressure.
context_section_description: Mars rotorcraft
  Hypersonic gliders were proposed by Wernher von Braun.
  Various parachutes have been the main air-borne device
  Rocket-sustained flight as in the case of retro-rockets have also been a part of landing systems
  Aeroshells from various spacecraft
  A rocket powered hopper (e.g. Mars Geyser Hopper)
  Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, a mini-helicopter to scout routes for the Perseverance rover
caption: Viking 1 aeroshell
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