NASA Ingenuity the first alien helicopter

One of the most advanced robotic explorers, NASA's Perseverance, travels in space to its final destination: Mars.

Researchers hope that an SUV-sized robot will help us find fossils of ancient life and collect specimens that will eventually return to Earth probably in 2031.

However, NASA's Perseverance rover is not alone which goes to the Red Planet. Hidden under the rover's belly is a stylish one, too called . In a few weeks, it will try to become the first aircraft to fly into an alien world.

"It will be a moment for the brothers ”, λέει ο Bob Balaram από το Jet Propulsion , chief engineer at Ingenuity.

Ingenuity's design presented many challenges for Balaram and of. The temperature drops to minus-54 degrees C in Jezero Crater. It is so cold on Mars that only a third of the helicopter's power can be used for flight. The remaining power is needed to keep the helicopter connected throughout the cold night and to warm up the onboard electronics.

Of course, the cold temperatures are just the beginning of the problems that an aspiring Mars pilot would face. Mars' atmosphere is 99% thinner than Earth's, with one-third the gravitational pull.

In order to achieve sufficient lift, there are two 4-foot-long carbon fiber blades that rotate at about 2.400 rpm. in reverse rotation engines - about eight times faster than the propellers in a typical Earth helicopter. Ingenuity has an incredibly light design (only 4 kg).

Thus Ingenuity has relatively limited capabilities. The solar helicopter is designed to take off, hover no more than a few tens of meters above the surface, maneuver through the thin air of Mars and land on level ground.

Once Perseverance lands on the rugged surface of Mars, the six-wheeled robotic geologist will begin its , while also looking for a suitable place to release Ingenuity as soon as possible. Once the copter is detached from the rover, Perseverance will take about 330 feet from Ingenuity to minimize the risk of collision.

Finally, Ingenuity will take off on its first flight under the watchful eye of the Perseverance rover and its cameras. Assuming Ingenuity is able to take off and land safely, the copter will fly up to four times. In every effort, he will try to go a little higher and farther.

Balaram emphasizes that this is a mission of high risk but also high reward.

"We are trying a completely new form of transport to a different planet, which has many challenges in terms of how we fly. Success is not guaranteed and we will go step by step: Landing, standing on the surface, checking out and surviving the first night without freezing, making the first flight and landing, all these will be important milestones along the way. . ”

Unfortunately, as soon as the trial period is over, Perseverance will say goodbye to Ingenuity after fulfilling its mission to prove that aircraft can operate in other worlds as well.

If all goes well, Balaram says, the data gained during these tests will help lay the groundwork for even bigger and better aircraft capable of carrying full payloads.

iGuRu.gr The Best Technology Site in Greecefgns

every publication, directly to your inbox

Join the 2.100 registrants.

Written by giorgos

George still wonders what he's doing here ...

Leave a reply

Your email address is not published. Required fields are mentioned with *

Your message will not be published if:
1. Contains insulting, defamatory, racist, offensive or inappropriate comments.
2. Causes harm to minors.
3. It interferes with the privacy and individual and social rights of other users.
4. Advertises products or services or websites.
5. Contains personal information (address, phone, etc.).