The three-bladed rotor hanging horizontally in the foreground is the next-gen rotor being tested.
The vertically aligned two-bladed rotor provided a “headwind,” enabling the tips of the three-bladed rotor to go beyond Mach 1.
Data from the tests indicate that the next-gen rotor could surpass the sound barrier without breaking apart.
The agency’s Mars Exploration Program funded the test campaign in pursuit of maximizing the capability of future aircraft flying at the Red Planet.
A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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