“He will take the first power-controlled flight ever,” said Aung of the Ingenuity helicopter, weighing just four pounds.
NASA will attempt on Thursday to land the Perseverance Rover on Mars.
Based on the findings of nearly 20 United States trips to Mars, Perseverance could set the stage for scientists to conclusively show whether life existed beyond Earth, while paving the way for eventual human missions to the fourth planet from the sun.
Video transcription
MIMI AUNG: Therefore, our team studied the question of whether it is possible to fly a helicopter on Mars. And then we start by demonstrating lift with a 1/3 scale vehicle here in a chamber of atmospheric density similar to that of Mars. And someone is outside trying to control it to fly. We achieved elevation, but not control.
We learned that the dynamics on Mars, in this tenuous atmosphere, is very different. And then, then, we built a full-scale vehicle with closed-circuit control on board in real time, all the time weighing less than 1.8 kg. That’s 4 pounds.
What you are seeing in the video here is one of the many, many flights we have experienced with this 1.8 kilogram Mars helicopter. And you see the helicopter flying. It looks very easy when you look at it. But you are looking at a room with an atmosphere of about 1% compared to the room you are sitting in right now.
The next major milestone will be when the Perseverance rover delivers Ingenuity to the surface of Mars. You will see that the debris shield that protects the helicopter on the descent is deployed first. And then the helicopter is deployed by what is called the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. It is a very complex system that will take about 10 days to go through the series you are seeing to launch Naivety to the surface.
And this fall, the moment when this fall happens, is the moment when Ingenuity has to start operating on its own autonomously, it has to survive the cold and cold nights of Mars, minus 90 degrees Celsius, to keep warm . It needs to collect energy from the sun through its solar panels to charge the battery. You have to talk to the Space Station. He has to do it all on his little 4 pounds.
And then we will go on that very important first flight. The Rover will be at least 100 meters away and observe Ingenuity. And Ingenuity will make its first flight. The first flight will rise to about 3 meters in height and hover for about 20 seconds. And it will carry out the first motorized controlled flight on another planet.
[HELICOPTER BLADES BUZZING]
And as Thomas mentioned at the beginning of this event, it will really be a Wright Brothers moment, but on another planet.