Could this become the first Mars airplane? When an aircraft makes its first flight on Mars in the 2020s, a NASA Armstrong innovation may have made it possible. A prototype of the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-m, which is a flying wing aircraft with a twist, is planned to be ready for launch from a high altitude balloon later this year. The Prandtl–m will be released at about at 100,000 feet altitude, which will simulate the flight conditions of the Martian atmosphere, said Al Bowers, NASA Armstrong chief scientist and Prandtl-m program manager. #nasa #journeytomars #flynasa #mars #exploration #aeronautics #technology #innovation #science #321techoff