Really cool stuff. What a testbed for future tech. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to do this and spur the next level of technology. Amazing work from the folks at JPL!
Not bad, considering it’s basically a solar powered RC helicopter. Oh, and it’s 135,800,000 ish miles away on another PLANET, different atmospheric conditions including lots of dust to obscure the solar panels.
Can your helicopter do that? I thought not.
How are the solar panels kept clean?
One space vehicle has been turned off recently because of dust on its solar panels.
That is a great point - can lessons be learned for flight on earth?
Airbus etc. helicopters are known for high altitude work, such as in the Himalayas, part of that is power I presume. The former Hughes helicopter company had a version better for hothigh, in its original Hughes 500 fuselage shape that is lighter than the competing Bell 206.
There are objective people who promote private exploration of Mars.
But I ask who will police the planet?
Communist China probably wants to - Oh My Marx!
US has might but neo-Marxists in the US blame Americans for the war of Russia on Ukraine.
Actually, they had some test flights in a reduced pressure chamber and a counter weight to simulate the gravity. But it is still an amazing feat given the very thin atmosphere and the reduced power from sunlight on mars compared with earth.
Next generation they should plan in sufficient mass/power to make one capable of hovering over a solar panel & blowing the dust off. Mobile carpet cleaning, so to speak.
Uh, knowledge for what?
Concerns about the Mars helicopter, dust already affecting solar panels, but it has gone well beyond expectations: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31186-ingenuity-helicopter-may-not-survive-martian-winter?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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Wonder whether they considered putting the solar panel below the prop to blow the dust off?