Published 19:13 IST, July 16th 2020
NASA shows off its first-ever Mars helicopter, netizens excited
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently took to Twitter to post a video of Ingenuity, an aircraft which is all set to fly on Mars.
- Science News
- 2 min read
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently took to Twitter to post a video of Ingenuity, an aircraft which is all set to fly on Mars. The teeny helicopter is a part the space agency’s Mars 2020 Rover mission which is set to take off on July 30 from Cape Canaveral in Florida. In addition, to the helicopter, the mission also includes the Perseverance rover which will join Curiosity in exploring the Martian surface.
On July 16, NASA ‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed off its teeny helicopter in a video posted on Twitter. Along with the video, the space agency also wrote that Ingenuity marked the first attempt ever at a controlled flight on another planet. In addition, it revealed that the name to the flying object was given by a student. Lauding, the aircraft, NASA also wrote that the success of it would facilitate further explorations on the red planet.
The 3 min 20-second video clip compares the Wright Brother's idea od flying to NASA's idea of flying on another planet. The video shows, a team of astronomers, scientists and physicists designing and testing the helicopter. In addition, it also shows a simulation map demonstrating the landing site of Ingenuity on Mars. The clip shows mathematical models and simulations of the teeny helicopter before ending with scientists explaining how excited they were for the mars mission.
Netizens curious about details
Since shared, the clip has been viewed over 160 times racking up a bandwagon of comments. One user wrote, “ Perseverance and Ingenuity - or Percy and Jenny as they will almost inevitably be known - are the most exciting mission to Mars yet. The potential is huge from Ingenuity alone.” While another user wrote, “Wow. If it works and flies on Mars, it can be used for removing dust from solar panels of the rover as well with its spinning blades. Yet another comment read, “Excited to see the panorama of Mars through helicopter shot.
Updated 19:13 IST, July 16th 2020