NASA's 'Wright Brothers moment'; flies first helicopter on Mars
The confirmation came through a satellite on Mars which relayed the helicopter's adventurous flight back to Earth. NASA has promised more such flights in the days ahead
- Apr 19, 2021,
- Updated Apr 19, 2021 7:04 PM IST
NASA has successfully flown a small helicopter on Mars. The American space agency's miniature robot chopper called 'Ingenuity' was airborne for less than a minute early on Monday, April 19.
With this, NASA has achieved the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another planet. The confirmation came through a satellite on Mars which relayed the helicopter's adventurous flight back to Earth. NASA has promised more such flights in the days ahead. Hailing the triumph, the US space agency tweeted the video.
"You wouldn't believe what I just saw. More images and video to come... #MarsHelicopter https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity," it posted.
"It happened. Today our #MarsHelicopter proved that powered, controlled flight from the surface of another planet is possible. It takes a little ingenuity, perseverance, and spirit to make that opportunity a reality: https://go.nasa.gov/3tvLoed," the American space agency said in another tweet.
The twin-rotor whirligig's debut on the Red Planet marked a 21st-century 'Wright Brothers moment' for NASA, which said success could pave the way for new modes of exploration on Mars and other destinations in the solar system, such as Venus and Saturn's moon Titan.
The small, lightweight aircraft also had to withstand punishing cold, with night-time temperatures dropping as low as 130 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius), using solar power alone to recharge and keep its internal components properly heated.
The planned flight was delayed for a week by a technical glitch during a test spin of the aircraft's rotors on April 9. But NASA said it resolved that issue by transmitting a few additional commands to its flight sequence last week.
(With inputs from Reuters.)
NASA has successfully flown a small helicopter on Mars. The American space agency's miniature robot chopper called 'Ingenuity' was airborne for less than a minute early on Monday, April 19.
With this, NASA has achieved the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another planet. The confirmation came through a satellite on Mars which relayed the helicopter's adventurous flight back to Earth. NASA has promised more such flights in the days ahead. Hailing the triumph, the US space agency tweeted the video.
"You wouldn't believe what I just saw. More images and video to come... #MarsHelicopter https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity," it posted.
"It happened. Today our #MarsHelicopter proved that powered, controlled flight from the surface of another planet is possible. It takes a little ingenuity, perseverance, and spirit to make that opportunity a reality: https://go.nasa.gov/3tvLoed," the American space agency said in another tweet.
The twin-rotor whirligig's debut on the Red Planet marked a 21st-century 'Wright Brothers moment' for NASA, which said success could pave the way for new modes of exploration on Mars and other destinations in the solar system, such as Venus and Saturn's moon Titan.
The small, lightweight aircraft also had to withstand punishing cold, with night-time temperatures dropping as low as 130 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius), using solar power alone to recharge and keep its internal components properly heated.
The planned flight was delayed for a week by a technical glitch during a test spin of the aircraft's rotors on April 9. But NASA said it resolved that issue by transmitting a few additional commands to its flight sequence last week.
(With inputs from Reuters.)