by Natasha Lin
Illustration of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter standing on Mars, Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, July 14, 2020
Ingenuity's Flight Mission on Mars
On April 19, 2021, the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, accomplished the first controlled flight on another planet besides Earth. Ingenuity was launched on July 30, 2020 and finally landed on February 18, 2021, traveling attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover. Data of the flight would be transmitted to the rover and passed onto Earth’s satellites, where NASA can collect and analyze the information. The mechanical, partially solar-powered aircraft, was built mainly for the purpose of testing flight and exploring the terrains of Mars. Its anatomy is accustomed to the Martian atmosphere, which has 1% less density and a lower gravitational field than Earth, making aviation considerably more difficult. Flying an aircraft near Mars’ surface would be approximately equivalent to flying 27,000 meters above Earth’s surface. Ingenuity has achieved milestones in the history of aerospace studies, performing beyond NASA’s expectations.
Operational Systems and Development
Building and testing Ingenuity cost NASA over 80 million dollars. With the weight of only four pounds on Earth and spinning rotors with a diameter of four feet, the space copter was expected to fly five times during the thirty-day testing period. While testing on Earth, NASA engineers expected each flight to be able to travel downrange 980 feet and have a duration of 90 seconds, reaching altitudes around ten to five feet. The flight is scripted by system engineers from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but for the most part, Ingenuity utilizes autonomous control through the use of artificial intelligence without human interference. On the exterior rotor system of the spacecraft, there are radio antennas, aerodynamic blades, and solar panels, which are all suitable to ensure no resistance during air time. The four carbon-fiber blades spin at around 2,400 revolutions per minute to initiate lift in Mar’s thin atmosphere. The interior of the small compartment held up by four legs contains batteries, cameras, and avionics, which are kept insulated to avoid exposure to the cold and any damage that may occur.
Making History
The Mars Ingenuity helicopter has already reached many milestones including its ability to maintain warmth during cold nights and keep its battery in constant charge through the use of solar panels. The expectations for the aircraft have already been passed as of May 7, 2020, when it landed its fifth successful flight. Currently, exploring Mars is one of NASA’s most prominent projects. Spacecrafts like Ingenuity lay down the foundational investigations for future research that could help scientists further understand Mars and possibly figure out its potential for habitability. Flight is possibly one of the first steps in achieving this goal, for it demonstrates the capability for such designs to be suitable in a major shift of environment. To this moment, Ingenuity continues to survive autonomously and sufficiently upon its deployment and continues to fulfill many points of progress.
Ingenuity's first black-and-white image from the air, Credit: NASA Mars Exploration Program, April 19, 2021
Flight Data
The first flight of Ingenuity on April 19, 2021 landed after a duration of 39.1 seconds and had an altitude of 10 feet while hovering over the ground in a stationary manner. Progressively, the second flight on April 22, 2021 was able to move 14 feet downrange for 51.9 seconds at the height of 16 feet. On April 25, 2021, the third flight lasted for a duration of 80 seconds at an altitude of 17 feet and a distance of 328 feet. A more successful flight occurred on April 30, 2021, which was considered the second try for the fourth flight after the first unsuccessful attempt on April 29, 2021. For 117 seconds, flying 16 feet above the ground, Ingenuity traveled 872 feet, taking a round trip back to the starting point while taking images, allowing the observers to create a 3D map of the takeoff site. The most recent and fifth trip Ingenuity took had a duration of 108 seconds, an altitude of 33 feet, and a distance of 423 feet. This marked the ending of its technology demonstration phase to an operation demonstration phase.
NASA’s Future Plans for Ingenuity
According to NASA, Ingenuity has officially completed its demo phase, confirming that the vehicle was able to soundly complete all flight testing. Now, it has begun a new expedition to accomplish its secondary purpose to accumulate and document Mars’s geological composition and atmospheric conditions. With Ingenuity’s navigation systems exceeding NASA's expectations, they plan to use the helicopter to take aerial photographs and collect samples of the Martian geology. Having a vehicle that can perform flight gives them an advantageous perspective in which they anticipate creating elevation maps of Mars's surface based on the new information gathered. Through the agency of the Mars Perseverance rover, this mission could possibly lead to the findings of microbial life on another planet besides Earth.
Sources
Wikipedia. (2021, May 8). Ingenuity (helicopter). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingenuity_(helicopter)
NASA Science. (n.d.). Mars Helicopter. Mars Helicopter - NASA Mars. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#
Phelps, M. (2021, May 11). NASA’s Ingenuity Space Copter Performing Beyond Expectations. AVweb. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/nasas-ingenuity-space-copter-performing-beyond-expectations/
NASA. (2021, April 5). 6 Things to Know About NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter
NASA. (2021, April 30). NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter to Begin New Demonstration Phase. Mars Exploration Program. https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8936/nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-to-begin-new-demonstration-phase/
Foust, J. (2021, April 30). Ingenuity shifts from technology to operations demo after successful fourth flight. Space News. https://spacenews.com/ingenuity-shifts-from-technology-to-operations-demo-after-successful-fourth-flight/
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (2020, July 14). Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on the Martian Surface (Artist's Concept). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/ingenuity-mars-helicopter-on-the-martian-surface-artists-concept
NASA. (2021, April 19). Ingenuity's First Black-and-White Image From the Air. Mars Exploration Program. https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25818/ingenuitys-first-black-and-white-image-from-the-air/