NASA’s Mars Helicopter Makes Historic First Flight On Another Planet
Image via NASA
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has become the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. No heavier than a two-liter bottle of soda, the tiny helicopter has marked an impressive milestone in space exploration.
“Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has succeeded in performing this amazing feat in another world,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen.
While the two momentous events in aviation history took place 173 million miles apart, they will now forever be linked. As a tribute to the Wright brothers, the first airfield on another planet will be known as the Wright Brothers Field, in recognition of their ingenuity and exploration.
According to NASA, the first flight was full of unknowns. Mars’ gravity is just one-third that of Earth’s, and it has an extremely thin atmosphere with only one percent of the surface pressure of this planet’s. This means that on the Red Planet, there are few air molecules which Ingenuity’s rotor blades can interact with to achieve flight.
The team will now test and formulate a plan for the second experimental test, taking place no earlier than April 22. If the helicopter manages the second flight, the Ingenuity team will then consider how to best expand its flight profile.
“We have been thinking for so long about having our Wright brothers moment on Mars, and here it is,” said MiMi Aung, project manager of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL, the firm which built Ingenuity with NASA.
It’s certainly a historic win for NASA in both aviation and space exploration. Watch the awe-inspiring flight below.
[via NASA and CNET, cover image via NASA]
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