Even in 2021 Flying a helicopter across an alien planet seems like something out of a
science fiction movie, but this is not a Ridley Scott script, because NASA has achieved the
first-ever controlled flight on another world. NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has successfully
completed its first test flight, marking the first-ever flight on another planet, a historic
moment in space exploration. The custom made helicopter travelled to Mars
within the belly of the Perseverance rover, which after successfully landing on the red
planet on the 18th of February 2021, carefully released it on to the surface. The helicopter
then completed several tests, including surviving the cold Martian night, unlocking its lightweight
blades and spinning them at certain speeds. A few days after a technical glitch occurred
delaying the first flight test, Ingenuity was fixed and finally ready for lift-off,
achieving a flight height of 3 metres or 10 feet for 30 seconds, rotating and then capturing
an aerial image of the Martian surface, while its shadow darkens the sands below.
117 years ago the famous Wright brothers achieved the first powered, controlled and sustained
flight on Earth. Now we have achieved the first-ever powered, controlled and sustained
flight on Mars and interestingly, hidden under Ingenuity's solar panel is a small piece of
fabric from the original Wright brothers aeroplane wing.
This low and brief first flight may seem like a small hop, but it is actually a giant leap
for humankind because flying on Mars is no easy task. The thin Martian atmosphere which
is just 1% as thick as Earths is at sea level, means that a helicopter on Mars needs to be
designed quite differently. Ingenuity's blades or rotor wings for example
are made of lightweight but durable, carbon fibre and are exceptionally large compared
to its body so that they can really bite into the thin air circulating it and achieve lift.
The whole craft is also extremely light, only weighing just over 1.8 kilograms or 4 pounds,
but even at this weight, the big blades have to spin far faster than if it was here on
Earth, about 2000 revolutions per minute faster, to even start to get the craft off the ground.
Another challenge the helicopter faces is the extremely cold temperature at night, which
can drop to below -83 degrees Celsius, which is -117 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that ingenuity
has to have a small built-in heater that prevents its components from freezing.
The distance from Earth to Mars is also problematic because a command beamed from mission control
currently takes around 15 minutes to reach Mars, and so operating the helicopter in real-time
is impossible. Ingenuity has, however, been given a mind of its own, that allows it to
analyse the photos it captures from above and seek out potential safe landing sites.
The impressive helicopter is packed full of complex gear that allows it to successfully
fly on Mars, an achievement that scientists say has only been made possible because of
the advancements in electronics, within the last 15 years or so.
The solar powered Martian chopper will attempt up to five flights over a month long period
and will go higher and further on each flight, provided all goes to plan. After the test
period has been completed however, ingenuity will sadly be grounded, because it requires
the Perseverance rover to communicate with Earth, and the rover will be focusing on its
own exciting mission, hunting for signs of ancient Martian life.