Photo: NASA JPL
It's not long now until we’ll witness a historic moment in space exploration: for the first time ever, an Earth-made helicopter will try to fly on another planet. April 11 is when the first attempt at taking off is scheduled, but interesting things are already happening in the Jezero Crater.
The latest development from the Ingenuity front is a major one. The blades that will help the small machine climb into the air have just been unlocked for the first test, and that apparently went extremely well, with the helicopter spinning them with no issues at just 50 RPM (short video below).
For the actual flight, that number will have to get significantly higher, at 2,537 rpm. That should allow the craft to take to the air, climbing at about 3 feet per second (1 meter per second) until it reaches an altitude of 10 feet (3 meters). It is supposed to stay there, hovering, for about 30 seconds, and then come back down and set in the Martian dust.
As for why NASA is attempting this, the answer is very simple. Exploration has always proven more rewarding in terms of discoveries made when done from the right altitude. Helicopters over an alien world would allow a far better view than satellites in orbit, and a much greater range than what ground-crawling rovers can offer.
“When NASA’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that roving the Red Planet was possible and completely redefined our approach to how we explore Mars,” said in a statement a while back Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA.
“Aptly named, Ingenuity is a technology demonstration that aims to be the first powered flight on another world and, if successful, could further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration.”
The space agency will broadcast the mission on all its available channels starting at around 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday, April 12.
For the actual flight, that number will have to get significantly higher, at 2,537 rpm. That should allow the craft to take to the air, climbing at about 3 feet per second (1 meter per second) until it reaches an altitude of 10 feet (3 meters). It is supposed to stay there, hovering, for about 30 seconds, and then come back down and set in the Martian dust.
As for why NASA is attempting this, the answer is very simple. Exploration has always proven more rewarding in terms of discoveries made when done from the right altitude. Helicopters over an alien world would allow a far better view than satellites in orbit, and a much greater range than what ground-crawling rovers can offer.
“When NASA’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that roving the Red Planet was possible and completely redefined our approach to how we explore Mars,” said in a statement a while back Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA.
“Aptly named, Ingenuity is a technology demonstration that aims to be the first powered flight on another world and, if successful, could further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration.”
The space agency will broadcast the mission on all its available channels starting at around 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday, April 12.
¶Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle ¶
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) April 9, 2021
With just a little bit of swing, the #MarsHelicopter has moved its blades & spun to 50 rpm in preparation for first flight! Takeoff is slated for April 11, with confirmation expected overnight into April 12 for us Earthlings. https://t.co/TNCdXWcKWE pic.twitter.com/EpDZymjP13
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