The concept of a helicopter on Earth itself was a great wonder that left everyone in awe. A helicopter on another planet? Now that is a whole other story. The launch of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover was accompanied by the launch of another game-changing experiment, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Although by weight it weighs barely about 4 pounds/ 1.8 kgs, it was launched with some very colossal objectives.
The initial take-off and landing area for Ingenuity were named after the Wright Brothers as a tribute. Harvard Grip, the Chief pilot at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said that NASA is trying to achieve on Mars with Ingenuity what the Wright Brothers could accomplish on Earth. It is owing to the ingenuity and intelligence of those working hard to conquer the challenges of interplanetary travel that we can all enjoy the delights of space exploration. Ingenuity, however, was not the first to achieve flight on another planet. The Soviet Vega-1’s unpowered balloon flight on Venus in 1985 holds this honour. But this is the first powered heavier than an air, controlled flight on another planet.
This doesn’t make the marvels of Ingenuity any less amazing. This small robotic solar helicopter is the lightest spacecraft operating on Mars as a part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. It is a technological demonstration project, which aims to test new capabilities for the first time in a small-scale setting. Other groundbreaking technology demonstrations in the past include the Mars Pathfinder rover Sojourner and the Mars Cube One.
Engineers at JPL proved that it was possible to design an aeroplane that was lightweight, capable of generating adequate lift in Mars’ thin atmosphere, and capable of living in a Mars-like environment in small increments from 2014 to 2019. They put more complex models through their paces in JPL’s unique space simulators. The real helicopter that accompanied Perseverance to Mars finished its last flight assessment in January 2019.
The rover drove around 100 meters (330 feet) away from the drone after deployment to provide it with a safe “risk zone” in which to fly on April 2021. Early in the rover’s mission, the Ingenuity helicopter was anticipated to fly up to five times during its 30-day test campaign, which began around the same time. Each flight was to take place at a height of 3–5 m (10–16 ft) above the ground. Although missions are telerobotically planned and written by handlers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the helicopter employs autonomous control during its brief flights. Following each landing, it connects with the Perseverance rover.
The goal was altered from technical demonstration to operational demonstration after the success of the first three flights. The focus has turned to map and exploring the landscape to aid the rover’s research mission. On the fourth trip on April 30, 2021, Ingenuity successfully captured multiple colour photographs while also examining the surface of the region is covered by using a black-and-white navigation camera. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made its fifth trip on Mars on May 7, 2021, flying from Wright Brothers Field to an airstrip 423 feet (129 meters) to the south. Before attempting to land, Ingenuity ascended to an altitude record of 33 feet (10 meters) over its new airstrip and snapped high-resolution colour photographs of its new surroundings.
What makes this a giant leap for the future of technology is the fact that the solar-charged battery-powered coaxial drone rotorcraft, which has made six successful flights as of May 22, 2021, is going to serve as a technology and operations demonstration for the prospective use of flying probes on upcoming missions to Mars and other planets alike. It will be able to probe locations of interest while supporting the future planning of driving routes for Mars’ rovers.
Ever since its initial flight on April 19, Ingenuity has captivated the public’s interest, but NASA says this was not a consideration in its choice to keep the two robots exploring Mars together. “We want to spend a lot of time here, so it’s a fortuitous alignment,” said Ken Farley, a scientist with the Perseverance project.
Ingenuity can travel up to 50 meters (160 feet) downrange before returning to the starting point. It has a roundtrip distance of 872-feet (262 meters). Ingenuity has four carbon-fiber blades configured into two rotors that rotate at roughly 2,400 rpm in opposing directions, which is several times faster than a conventional helicopter on Earth. It also includes cutting-edge solar cells, batteries, and other parts. It should also be highlighted that that is a different experiment from the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and does not contain science equipment.
The Ingenuity technology demonstration might serve as a springboard for the development of more competent aircraft for aerial exploration of Mars and other extraterrestrial locations with atmospheres. The next iteration of rotorcraft might weigh anywhere from 5 to 15 kg, with scientific payloads ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 kg. These planes could communicate directly with an orbiter and continue to operate with a landed asset. Future helicopters could also be used to investigate unique areas with exposed water where Earth microbial life could be able to thrive!
In conclusion, Ingenuity’s technology could very well pave the way to some extremely exciting and interesting prospects. It might very well be laying the groundwork for more advanced robotic flying vehicles to join future robotic and human expeditions to Mars that could provide a new perspective not available from present orbiters or rovers and landers on the ground, give high-definition photos and reconnaissance for robots or people, and provide access to terrain that rovers are unable to reach. The Ingenuity flight’s recordings and data are a treasure trove for our comprehension of the atmosphere of Mars.