DOCSLIB.ORG

Mars Towards the Future Three Spacecraft from Three Diferent Nations Arrived at Mars in February 2021

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mars Towards the Future Three Spacecraft from Three Diferent Nations Arrived at Mars in February 2021 editorial Mars towards the future Three spacecraft from three diferent nations arrived at Mars in February 2021. Two of those nations are newcomers to Mars and the third successfully set out the path for a Mars sample return. espite regular launch opportunities consisting of a full orbiter–lander–rover of being bypassed because of its high costs, every 26 months, every mission to package. The lander–rover composite is but now that it is in motion it will be much DMars invariably captures headlines in planned to land in Utopia Planitia in May harder to stop. the news and huge interest from the public. 2021 after a thorough reconnaissance of Perseverance’s look to the future goes The 2020 launch window, however, actually the area by the orbiter aimed at identifying beyond sample return, containing as it does had several novelties that distinguished it the best landing site according to scientific a rather unprecedented set of technology from the others — even without considering and technical criteria. Its scientific experiments. First, the Ingenuity helicopter that it happened in the midst of a global objectives are very different from — and will try to perform the first controlled pandemic. complementary to — Hope’s, focusing on flight on another planet as a standalone First of all, this year has been unusually surface and shallow sub-surface processes and autonomous system. Considering the busy. Mars has not seen so much incoming and environment. extremely thin and dust-laden atmosphere traffic since 2003. Moreover, all three Compared to the UAE and China, NASA of Mars, success is not a given and Ingenuity missions were successful, showing that we is the big veteran of Mars exploration. will be a crucial test for any future airborne are getting more confident in delivering However, the Perseverance rover marks a technology. In addition, the rover contains probes to Mars without glitches. Mars distinct change in perspective for the US MOXIE (the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource has long enjoyed the reputation of being space agency. The ‘follow the water’ mantra Utilization Experiment), which is designed a spacecraft-eating ghoul, but maybe it is that drove NASA’s Mars exploration since to release oxygen into the atmosphere of time to bury this cliché: only one of the 15 the 1990s is becoming obsolete, as we Mars after synthesizing it from locally missions sent to Mars since 2000 fully failed ‘follow habitability’ now. The Curiosity rover harvested CO2. This is the first attempt to by not leaving Earth’s orbit. started this new trend, and Perseverance consciously affect the environment of a One of the most significant features of is consolidating it. But above all, while planet. While MOXIE is just a technology the 2020 launch window is the appearance the science is surely going to be exciting, demonstrator and will not have any actual of new actors. The United Arab Emirates Perseverance has a clear forward-looking impact on the atmosphere of Mars, it is (UAE) and China have respectively become concept that distinguishes it from NASA’s a first test of how we could utilize local the fifth and sixth countries ever to reach previous rovers. The most important resources to support future human missions Mars. Like the European Space Agency innovation by far is the first step towards a and habitation. Resource utilization on (ESA) and India, they succeeded at the first Mars sample return. Mars is the next challenge and, in addition attempt. The widening of the exclusive club Actual projects for a Martian sample to Perseverance, there are already some of nations exploring beyond the Earth– return have struggled to materialize due to ongoing projects, in particular concerning Moon system is always welcome, although the magnitude of its technical challenges. water reservoirs. In this issue we present an we are far from the ‘democratization of Now we have a clear plan: a three-step effort to map the likelihood of water deep space’ that we are experiencing for sequence (of which Perseverance carries ice availability in the shallow subsurface Earth’s orbit and have started to glimpse for out the first) that spans the whole decade of Mars and just last month the US, the Moon. and involves a tight collaboration between Italian, Japanese and Canadian space Interestingly, the two nations opted for NASA and ESA. Much of Perseverance’s agencies announced a partnership for an very different approaches to their Mars design revolves around sample return. International Mars Ice Mapper orbiter that debut. The Mars Hope Probe from the The rover will drill and collect samples could fly as early as 2026. UAE was conceived to answer very specific that will be stored in cylinders and left on The 2020 launch window saw exciting scientific questions linked to the vertical the Martian surface. Cleverly, the rover new perspectives open up for Mars connections within the atmosphere, from will carry these samples from the different exploration, and this trend will continue the troposphere to atmospheric escape. acquisition points over to a single caching in the already busy next launch windows. In this sense, it has some overlap with area, ready for collection by the future ‘fetch’ Martian exploration has always been NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile rover. The scientific payload is also tailored fertile terrain for international scientific Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter, and indeed for this purpose: a suite of cameras and collaboration: we hope that these novelties the UAE has worked closely with members spectrometers will allow the identification will not change that and the way forward of the MAVEN team in the United States. of the most interesting rocks to sample, will be inclusive and concordant. ❐ International collaboration and knowledge and in situ sample analysis facilities were exchange have been key points of the Hope sacrificed to make space for the tube mission. Tianwen-1 is instead all Chinese collection and storage. Mars sample Published online: 16 March 2021 and also a very ambitious first attempt, return has always been considered at risk https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01337-9 NATURE ASTRONOMY | VOL 5 | MARCH 2021 | 209 | www.nature.com/natureastronomy 209.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tianwen-1: China's Mars Mission
    Tianwen-1: China's Mars Mission drishtiias.com/printpdf/tianwen-1-china-s-mars-mission Why In News China will launch its first Mars Mission - Tianwen-1- in July, 2020. China's previous ‘Yinghuo-1’ Mars mission, which was supported by a Russian spacecraft, had failed after it did not leave the earth's orbit and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean in 2012. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is also going to launch its own Mars mission in July, the Perseverance which aims to collect Martian samples. Key Points The Tianwen-1 Mission: It will lift off on a Long March 5 rocket, from the Wenchang launch centre. It will carry 13 payloads (seven orbiters and six rovers) that will explore the planet. It is an all-in-one orbiter, lander and rover system. Orbiter: It is a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body (astronomical body) without landing on its surface. Lander: It is a strong, lightweight spacecraft structure, consisting of a base and three sides "petals" in the shape of a tetrahedron (pyramid- shaped). It is a protective "shell" that houses the rover and protects it, along with the airbags, from the forces of impact. Rover: It is a planetary surface exploration device designed to move across the solid surface on a planet or other planetary mass celestial bodies. 1/3 Objectives: The mission will be the first to place a ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution. It will search the martian surface for water, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Mars 2020 Radiological Contingency Planning
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mars 2020 Radiological Contingency Planning NASA plans to launch the Mars 2020 rover, produce the rover’s onboard power and to Perseverance, in summer 2020 on a mission warm its internal systems during the frigid to seek signs of habitable conditions in Mars’ Martian night. ancient past and search for signs of past microbial life. The mission will lift off from Cape NASA prepares contingency response plans Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a for every launch that it conducts. Ensuring the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle safety of launch-site workers and the public in between mid-July and August 2020. the communities surrounding the launch area is the primary consideration in this planning. The Mars 2020 rover design is based on NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012 This contingency planning task takes on an and greatly increased our knowledge of the added dimension when the payload being Red Planet. The Mars 2020 rover is equipped launched into space contains nuclear material. to study its landing site in detail and collect and The primary goal of radiological contingency store the most promising samples of rock and planning is to enable an efficient response in soil on the surface of Mars. the event of an accident. This planning is based on the fundamental principles of advance The system that provides electrical power for preparation (including rehearsals of simulated Mars 2020 and its scientific equipment is the launch accident responses), the timely availability same as for the Curiosity rover: a Multi- of technically accurate and reliable information, Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator and prompt external communication with the (MMRTG).
    [Show full text]
  • Mars Helicopter/Ingenuity
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mars Helicopter/Ingenuity When NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on February 18, 2021, it will be carrying a passenger onboard: the first helicopter ever designed to fly in the thin Martian air. The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is a small, or as full standalone science craft carrying autonomous aircraft that will be carried to instrument payloads. Taking to the air would the surface of the Red Planet attached to the give scientists a new perspective on a region’s belly of the Perseverance rover. Its mission geology and even allow them to peer into is experimental in nature and completely areas that are too steep or slippery to send independent of the rover’s science mission. a rover. In the distant future, they might even In the months after landing, the helicopter help astronauts explore Mars. will be placed on the surface to test – for the first time ever – powered flight in the thin The project is solely a demonstration of Martian air. Its performance during these technology; it is not designed to support the experimental test flights will help inform Mars 2020/Perseverance mission, which decisions relating to considering small is searching for signs of ancient life and helicopters for future Mars missions, where collecting samples of rock and sediment in they could perform in a support role as tubes for potential return to Earth by later robotic scouts, surveying terrain from above, missions. This illustration shows the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity on the surface of Mars. Key Objectives Key Features • Prove powered flight in the thin atmosphere of • Weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg) Mars.
    [Show full text]
  • Build Your Own Mars Helicopter
    Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Build Your Own Mars Helicopter Suggested Grades: 3-8 Activity Overview Time: 30 minutes NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars! This helicopter Materials is called Ingenuity and is designed to test whether or not • 1 Large marshmallow flight is a good way to study distant bodies in space. • 4 Small marshmallows • 5 Toothpicks We have sent spacecraft to other planets, but this is the • Cardstock (to print out the last first aircraft that will fly on another world. In this page of this document) activity, you will learn about this amazing feat of engineering as you build your own Mars helicopter • Scissors model. Steps 1. The large marshmallow will represent Ingenuity’s fuselage. Ingenuity is fairly small, about 19 inches tall and weighing about 4 pounds, and the fuselage is about the size of a softball. The fuselage contains batteries, sensors, and cameras to power and control Ingenuity’s flight. It is insulated and has heaters to protect the equipment in the cold Martian environment where it can reach -130 oC at night. 2. Insert the four toothpicks into the marshmallow so they come out at angles as shown in Figure 1. The toothpicks represent the four hollow carbon-fiber legs on Ingenuity. Ingenuity’s legs are designed to be lightweight while still supporting the helicopter when it’s on the Martian surface. To take up less space, Ingenuity’s legs are folded while it’s being carried to Mars. / Figure 1. Insert the four toothpicks into the marshmallow to represent Ingenuity's legs. 3.
    [Show full text]
  • The Periglacial Landscape of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence for Recent Climate Change on Mars
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 1-23-2013 12:00 AM The Periglacial Landscape Of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence For Recent Climate Change On Mars. Mary C. Kerrigan The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Marco Van De Wiel The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Dr. Gordon R Osinski The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Geography A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Science © Mary C. Kerrigan 2013 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Climate Commons, Geology Commons, Geomorphology Commons, and the Physical and Environmental Geography Commons Recommended Citation Kerrigan, Mary C., "The Periglacial Landscape Of Utopia Planitia; Geologic Evidence For Recent Climate Change On Mars." (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1101. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1101 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PERIGLACIAL LANDSCAPE OF UTOPIA PLANITIA; GEOLOGIC EVIDENCE FOR RECENT CLIMATE CHANGE ON MARS by Mary C. Kerrigan Graduate Program in Geography A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Mary C. Kerrigan 2013 ii THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Joint Supervisor Examiners ______________________________ Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Detecting Perseverance's Landing with Insight
    manuscript submitted to JGR: Planets 1 Listening for the Mars 2020 Landing Sequence with InSight 2 Listening for the Landing: Detecting Perseverance's 3 landing with InSight 1 2 3;4 4 Benjamin Fernando , Natalia W´ojcicka , Marouchka Froment , Ross 5;6 7 8 2 5 Maguire , Simon C. St¨ahler , Lucie Rolland , Gareth S. Collins , Ozgur 9 3 10 11 6 Karatekin , Carene Larmat , Eleanor K. Sansom , Nicholas A. Teanby , 12;13 5 14 7 Aymeric Spiga , Foivos Karakostas , Kuangdai Leng , Tarje 1 4 7 4 8 Nissen-Meyer , Taichi Kawamura , Dominico Giardini , Philippe Lognonn´e , 15 16 9 Bruce Banerdt , Ingrid J. Daubar 1 10 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 4AR, UK 2 11 Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK 3 12 Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA 4 13 Universit´ede Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France 5 14 Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 6 15 Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East 16 Lansing, MI, USA 7 17 Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Z¨urich, Switzerland 8 18 Universit´eC^oted'Azur, Observatoire de la C^oted'Azur, CNRS, IRD, G´eoazur,France 9 19 Royal Observatory of Belgium, Belgium 10 20 Space Science and Technology Centre, Curtin University, Australia 11 21 School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road,
    [Show full text]
  • Moxtek in Space Again – Mars Perseverance Rover Landing 2021 Feb 9, 2021
    Moxtek in Space Again – Mars Perseverance Rover Landing 2021 Feb 9, 2021 MOXTEK, Inc. Orem, UT [email protected] MOXTEK (Orem, UT) is excited to celebrate the landing of the Perseverance rover in the Mars Jezero crater on February 18th 2021. This landing will be watched by many people around the world with anticipation as this new high‐tech rover is delivered to our red planet neighbor. Moxtek employees will also be anxiously watching as this rover, with three Moxtek products, prepares for a safe landing. Please celebrate this landing with us on February 18th @ 1:55pm MST (Utah time). The Perseverance rover, developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), includes seven important instruments intended to explore and seek evidence of past life on Mars. One of these instruments, the Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), is a compact x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer mounted at the end of the rover’s robotic arm and is designed to provide accurate identification of the elemental composition of rock and soil on Mar’s surface. The PIXL system uses three Moxtek components including a miniature x‐ray tube and two DuraBeryllium x‐ray detector windows. NASA/JPL chose Moxtek x‐ray windows because of their exceptional dependability in harsh and remote environments and chose the Moxtek x‐ray tube because of its compact design, rigidity, and low‐power consumption. The Moxtek x‐ray tube was specifically designed to couple directly to an x‐ray polycapillary optic, developed by X‐ ray Optical Systems (XOS), for the purpose of elemental mapping. Moxtek’s x‐ray tube and window enable the PIXL system to provide increased spatial resolution and improved measurement sensitivity.
    [Show full text]
  • Growth and Form of the Mound in Gale Crater, Mars: Slope
    1 Growth and form of the mound in Gale Crater, Mars: Slope- 2 wind enhanced erosion and transport 3 Edwin S. Kite1, Kevin W. Lewis,2 Michael P. Lamb1 4 1Geological & Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, MC 150-21, Pasadena CA 5 91125, USA. 2Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton NJ 6 08544, USA. 7 8 Abstract: Ancient sediments provide archives of climate and habitability on Mars (1,2). Gale 9 Crater, the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), hosts a 5 km high sedimentary 10 mound (3-5). Hypotheses for mound formation include evaporitic, lacustrine, fluviodeltaic, and 11 aeolian processes (1-8), but the origin and original extent of Gale’s mound is unknown. Here we 12 show new measurements of sedimentary strata within the mound that indicate ~3° outward dips 13 oriented radially away from the mound center, inconsistent with the first three hypotheses. 14 Moreover, although mounds are widely considered to be erosional remnants of a once crater- 15 filling unit (2,8-9), we find that the Gale mound’s current form is close to its maximal extent. 16 Instead we propose that the mound’s structure, stratigraphy, and current shape can be explained 17 by growth in place near the center of the crater mediated by wind-topography feedbacks. Our 18 model shows how sediment can initially accrete near the crater center far from crater-wall 19 katabatic winds, until the increasing relief of the resulting mound generates mound-flank slope- 20 winds strong enough to erode the mound. Our results indicate mound formation by airfall- 21 dominated deposition with a limited role for lacustrine and fluvial activity, and potentially 22 limited organic carbon preservation.
    [Show full text]
  • Milestones of the Disability Rights Movement Over the Years the Center for Students with Disabilities Is Celebrating Our 50Th Ye
    Milestones of the Disability Rights Movement Over the Years The Center for Students with Disabilities is celebrating our 50th year of service at the University of Connecticut. In memorandum of the past 50 years, this timeline was created. The timeline details historical events relating to disability rights and advocacy, as well as major milestones for our Center across the years. Join us in celebrating the history of our Center by taking a virtual walk through various events throughout time that have been influential to our success. 1776 Declaration of Independence signed by Stephen Hopkins Stephen Hopkins, a man with cerebral palsy signs the Declaration of Independence. His historic statement echos, “my hands may tremble, but my heart does not.” 1784 Institution for Blind Children founded in Paris Valentin Huay established the Institution for Blind Children, a facility in Paris aimed at making life more accessible to those who are blind. Huay also discovered that individuals who are blind could read if texts were printed with raised letters. 1800 Treatise on Insanity is Published The first medical classification system of mental disorders created by Phillipe Pinsel in his Treatise on Insanity. His classification system included 4 parts: melancholy, dementia, mania without delirium, and mani without delirium. 1805 Medical Inquiries and Observations Published Father of modern day psychiatry, Dr. Benjamin Rush published Medical Inquiries and Observations, a text aimed at explaining the symptomatology of mental disorders. Louis Braille 1809: Louis Braille is born. He attended the Paris Blind School, founded by Valentin Huay. 1817 Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons Thomas Galludet founded the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in Hartford, Connecticut - the first school for the deaf in America.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Sample Analysis at Mars-Evolved Gas Analysis Laboratory Analog Work Supporting the Presence of Perchlorates and Chlorates in Gale Crater, Mars
    minerals Review A Review of Sample Analysis at Mars-Evolved Gas Analysis Laboratory Analog Work Supporting the Presence of Perchlorates and Chlorates in Gale Crater, Mars Joanna Clark 1,* , Brad Sutter 2, P. Douglas Archer Jr. 2, Douglas Ming 3, Elizabeth Rampe 3, Amy McAdam 4, Rafael Navarro-González 5,† , Jennifer Eigenbrode 4 , Daniel Glavin 4 , Maria-Paz Zorzano 6,7 , Javier Martin-Torres 7,8, Richard Morris 3, Valerie Tu 2, S. J. Ralston 2 and Paul Mahaffy 4 1 GeoControls Systems Inc—Jacobs JETS Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA 2 Jacobs JETS Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA; [email protected] (B.S.); [email protected] (P.D.A.J.); [email protected] (V.T.); [email protected] (S.J.R.) 3 NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA; [email protected] (D.M.); [email protected] (E.R.); [email protected] (R.M.) 4 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; [email protected] (A.M.); [email protected] (J.E.); [email protected] (D.G.); [email protected] (P.M.) 5 Institito de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; [email protected] 6 Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Torrejon de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] 7 Department of Planetary Sciences, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK; [email protected] 8 Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Armilla, 18100 Granada, Spain Citation: Clark, J.; Sutter, B.; Archer, * Correspondence: [email protected] P.D., Jr.; Ming, D.; Rampe, E.; † Deceased 28 January 2021.
    [Show full text]
  • Rapid Machine Learning-Based Extraction and Measurement of Ice Wedge Polygons in Airborne Lidar Data Charles J
    The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2018-167 Manuscript under review for journal The Cryosphere Discussion started: 11 September 2018 c Author(s) 2018. CC BY 4.0 License. Brief communication: Rapid machine learning-based extraction and measurement of ice wedge polygons in airborne lidar data Charles J. Abolt1,2, Michael H. Young2, Adam A. Atchley3, Cathy J. Wilson3 1Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA 5 2Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA 3Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA Correspondence to: Charles J. Abolt ([email protected]) Abstract. We present a workflow for rapid delineation and microtopographic characterization of ice wedge polygons within 10 high-resolution digital elevation models. The workflow, which is extensible to other forms of remotely sensed imagery, incorporates a convolutional neural network to detect pixels representing troughs. A watershed transformation is then used to segment imagery into discrete polygons. Regions of non-polygonal terrain are partitioned out using a simple post-processing procedure. Results from training and validation sites at Barrow and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska demonstrate robust performance in diverse tundra landscapes. The methodology permits fast, spatially extensive measurements of polygonal microtopography 15 and trough network geometry. 1 Introduction and Background The objective of this research is to develop and report on a workflow for rapid delineation and microtopographic analysis of ice wedge polygons in airborne lidar data. Ice wedge polygons are the surface expression of ice wedges, a form of ground ice nearly ubiquitous to coastal tundra environments in North America and Eurasia (Leffingwell, 1915; Lachenbruch, 20 1962).
    [Show full text]
  • View for Terrain Images, Not Used for Its Own and Relied on a Set of Flight-Con- Tion Camera Tracks Visual Features on the Navigate in Complex Terrain
    GENERAL POSS: TO SWARM, BEYOND AG/MINING P.10 OR NOT TO SWARM P.16 TAKES OFF P.58 USE CASES inside June/July 2021 unmanned systems INSIDE ENGINEERING, POLICY AND PRACTICE InsideUnmannedSystems.com SPECIAL COLLABORATION ISSUE JPL AND AEROVIRONMENT MARSon SUCCEED AT SMART COLLABORATION PUBLISHED BY AUTONOMOUS MEDIA, LLC COLLABORATION Mars Helicopter Project INSIDE THE INGENUITY HELICOPTER: Teamwork on Mars pril 19th saw what some have punching above your weight. The Mars Helicopter christened “a second Wright “Now that Ingenuity is actually flying at Project, a.k.a. A Brothers moment”—namely, the Mars, we can begin to assess how things Ingenuity, lifts off successful first powered controlled flight stack up against expectations,” noted Håvard from the Martian by an aircraft on another world. Reaching Grip, Mars helicopter chief pilot for NASA’s surface, near the Perseverance rover. Mars on the underside of the Perseverance Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). rover, the tiny, autonomous Mars Ingenuity Ingenuity represents the years-long Helicopter (5.4" x 7.7" x 6.4") spun its 4-foot collaboration between NASA/JPL, ma- rotors and hovered 10 feet off the ground jor unmanned systems manufacturer for 30 seconds. By its third flight, a few AeroVironment and a bevy of other compa- days later, Ingenuity would rise 16 feet (5 nies. The articles that follow chronicle how meters) up, and fly 164 feet (50 meters) at JPL created the craft’s unique navigation sys- a top speed of 6.6 ft/sec (2 m/sec). Back in tem and how AeroVironment’s engineering 1903, the Wright Brothers logged 120 feet team stepped up in the electrical, mechani- to complete the first controlled heavier- cal, systems and vehicle flight control areas.
    [Show full text]