NASA’s Perseverance rover is set to make its historic landing on Mars on February 18, 2021. The rover will be carrying some advanced technology to facilitate its mission to seek out ancient life on the Red Planet. Part of it will be the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, a drone whose mission is entirely different from that of the Perseverance rover. Here are some facts about this robotic helicopter.
To begin with, the Ingenuity helicopter’s goal is to test flight capabilities on Mars. It’s a technology demonstration such as the Mars Cube One (MarCO) or the Mars Pathfinder, which have been done in the past. Even though Ingenuity’s scope is limited, its success could be a game-changer for the aviation industry. It’ll clear the way for NASA to create more advanced designs for aerial missions on the Red Planet.
Again, NASA has designed the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter to survive its first flight on Mars. This 19-inches tall drone is lightweight. This is because the Red Planet’s atmosphere is extremely thin, and it might affect Ingenuity’s capability to fly well. With the helicopter’s large carbon-fiber blades, which are pre-arranged into two rotors meant to spin in opposite directions, flying at an incredibly fast speed is possible. Then, Ingenuity comes with batteries, innovative solar cells, and technology to keep itself warm to increase its chances of survival on Mars.
In addition, the idea of the name “Ingenuity” came from a brilliant student, Vaneeza Rupani, from Alabama High School. It was initially meant for the Perseverance rover, but NASA decided that it would be best for the drone due to the fantastic team behind its creation. Rupani revealed that the name was inspired by the fact that so many aviation experts are breaking their backs today to make traveling across planets possible, enabling people to benefit from space exploration.
The Ingenuity team and space exploration enthusiasts worldwide cannot wait for this helicopter to complete this milestone and clear the way for future missions on Mars.
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Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH