NASA’s Mars helicopter has successfully passed several key tests meaning it’s close to getting final approval. In 2021, the autonomous helicopter will be the first vehicle in history to power flight in the tenuous Martian environment. According to NASA, the 4lb (1.8kg) helicopter will soar above Mars in a series of demonstration tests. It will launch next summer in the belly of the Mars 2020 rover, landing on the Red Planet in February 2021. The rover will look for signs of life on the planet and return samples back to Earth while the goal of the helicopter is to hover above to give scientists insight into the Martian surface. The system needs to go through these tests because the Red Planet's air is just 1% as dense as that of Earth. Mars has a third less gravity and 99 per cent less air than Earth so the team suggest that it’s like flying it at 100,000 feet, even though initially it will only go 9 feet (3 metres) in the air. "Nobody's built a Mars helicopter bef