This was another undeniable triumph for NASA and space exploration, proving that it is still relevant, and that we are still benefiting from their research.
No, it was not a full sized or manned helicopter, obviously. In fact, it is tiny, and weighs only four pounds. But it flew, rising up to 10 feet and remaining in the air for approximately 40 seconds.
All of that might not seem like much. But remember, this is on another planet. So this is a landmark moment that some are comparing to the Wright brothers first managing to successfully take flight.
“We now have our Wright brothers moment,” MiMi Aung, project manager for Ingenuity, said early Monday morning from a control room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “This is just the first great flight.”
This is because the Martian atmosphere is a hostile one for flying aircraft, as it is 100 times thinner than that of the Earth. That means that flying close to the surface of Mars is similar to flying at 87,000 feet on Earth.
Why is it that bad there?
According to the article by Bachman that I used in writing this blog entry:
Made up mostly of carbon dioxide, the less-dense atmosphere requires blade rotation speeds of 2,400 rpm for the chopper to remain aloft—five times what’s needed on Earth. Researchers also had only an estimate of what kind of wind speed to expect, which was around 13 mph.
Some truly fascinating stuff!
Below is the link to the article by Justin Bachman I used in writing this particular blog entry:
Why Flying a Helicopter on Mars Is a Big Deal By Justin Bachman, April 19, 2021:
The successful flight of a four-pound chopper named Ingenuity is a “Wright brothers” moment for the solar system.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-19/mars-helicopter-ingenuity-takes-flight-in-milestone-for-planetary-exploration?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=facebook&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-tv&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tv&fbclid=IwAR1EF47zQRJqHIVnP_mN6kPLz3vbGtAGzKy1e9z9z5lSWLSRkDvFRc2HAsY
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