It may not sound like a huge feat, but it is.
Ingenuitys flight is the first powered flight of an aircraft on another planet.
It marks a milestone in the story of human space exploration.
To sustain flight within the environment of a world with no atmosphere, however, is a different story.
The now historic Ingenuity helicopter tooksix yearsto make.
We can understand why, once we understand the complexities of what was required.
Today I witnessed history.
Now it’s possible for you to too.
Youre watching video of the#MarsHelicopters first flight a true Wright brothers moment.
First, and most significantly, helicopters need an atmosphere to fly.
The blades, or rotors of a helicopter must spin fast enough to generate a force called lift.
But lift can only be generated in the presence of some kind of atmosphere.
Then theres the Martian gravity to consider, which is about one-third the strength of gravity on Earth.
This actually gives us a slight advantage.
But while Marss gravity works to our advantage, this is offset by the lack of atmosphere.
Ingenuitys success marks the first time such a flight has even been attempted outside of Earth.
On Earth, most helicopters and drones have rotors that spin at about 400-500 revolutions per minute.
The Ingenuitys rotor spun at about 2,400 revolutions per minute.
It also has a distinct aircraft-to-wingspan ratio.
Even transmitting the signal for the flight to begin required an array of advanced technology.
Remote controlled flight on Mars
Ingenuity is what we call a technology demonstrator.
Simply, its only purpose is to prove it can complete a series of simple missions.
Once this technology is applied, its potential will be vast.
Such aircraft could even assist in the search for water and life on the Martian surface.
And in 2035,its expectedthe first humans will land on Mars.
Missions are already in work to push the barriers of powered flight on other worlds.
“We’ve been talking for so long about our Wright brothers moment.
And here it is.”
