Artist's concept of the Mars airplane

February 2, 1999
Web posted at: 5:41 p.m. EST (2241 GMT)

(CNN) -- It's an idea that's been tossed around at NASA for decades: an unpiloted airplane sails through the Martian atmosphere, cameras whirring, giving humankind an unprecedented aerial tour of the red planet.

NASA officials say the idea is admittedly far-fetched, but within reach -- enough so that the agency has included the $50 million project in its 2000 budget request.

NASA hopes to launch the drone atop a French Ariane 5 rocket in 2003, the 100-year anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first airplane flight.

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NASA animations of how the airplane might deploy after reaching Mars The airplane is released from an entry capsule

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Wings and propeller unfurl as the plane parachutes through the atmosphere 500 K / 240x180

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An animated video played at a budget briefing Monday showed a small, pilotless plane parachuting toward the sandy surface, unfolding its wings and propeller, and puttering off.

In actuality, many details about the plane remain to be determined, including actual design and means of propulsion and delivery to Mars, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said.

Flying in Mars' atmosphere is like flying at about 100,000 to 130,000 feet (30,500 to 40,000 meters) altitude above Earth, he said, so much research needs to be done. A long-range jetliner flies at about 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) altitude.

There is also an eight-minute time lag for radio messages between Earth and Mars, complicating the control of the unmanned plane.

In addition to still and video cameras, the Mars airplane would carry a payload of science instruments on its three-hour, 1,100-mile (1,800 km) flight.

A key goal of the mission, aside from testing new technology, would be to search for the best place from which to return samples -- places where geology indicates the possible past presence of water or layered sediments, NASA said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.