![]() Another big breakthrough came on September 15 th when it completed a high-speed test at 2800rpm, which is necessary for flight in Mars’ Autumn and Winter when the air density drops down to 0.012 kg/m3 (only 1% of earth’s gravity). Ingenuity turned out to be brilliantly engineered and has to this day completed 16 flights. With the tech demo phase complete, Ingenuity began a new operations demonstration phase to explore how rovers and aerial explorers can work together in the future. It then proceeded to test longer flights further up in the air with great results. For the first flight Ingenuity took off, climbed up to 3 meters, hovered for a while, completed a turn and then it landed safely on the ground. ![]() The drone is serving as a technology demonstration for the potential use of flying probes on future missions to Mars and other worlds. ![]() The box at the bottom contains the helicopter’s “brain” composed of sensitive electronics that the box is constructed to keep warm in the cold Mars climate. It´s equipped with solar panel charged Lithium-ion batteries that provide enough energy for one 90 second flight per Martian day. The blade span is 1.2 m and is made from TeXtreme ® carbon fiber and foam core which enables lift in the thin atmosphere. The helicopter weighs in at only 1.8 kg-on Earth, that is. By using one of the thinnest versions of TeXtreme ® the team was able to design the wings in an optimal way and ultimately fly in the brutal conditions of Mars. After searching for a thin, stiff and ultra-light solution they found TeXtreme ®, and they worked with our engineering team to find the optimal version of TeXtreme ® for these unique challenges. The main challenge for the development team at NASA/JPL/AeroVironment was to find a fabric that was just thick enough to provide the stiffness required to lift the helicopter, but also lightweight enough as to not waste any energy.
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