NASA engineers have pushed experimental Mars helicopter rotors past the speed of sound, a breakthrough that could eventually allow future aircraft to carry heavier scientific payloads and fly farther across the Martian surface, the agency announced May 7.  Breaking The Sound Barrier On Mars The breakthrough comes a little more than four years after Ingenuity completed its historic mission on Mars. Originally designed for five flights, Ingenuity ultimately completed 72 before crashing in January 2024. Ingenuity's carbon-fiber blades spun at roughly 2,700 rpm, already about 10 times faster than passenger helicopters on Earth. NASA said engineers intentionally avoided supersonic rotor speeds because they did not know whether the blades could survive the stress. Don't Miss: From the International Space Station…

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