Historic photo: NASA manages to fly a drone on Mars for the first time

NASA made history Monday by successfully completing the first powered and controlled flight of an aircraft to another planet. The Ingenuity helicopter, which detached from the Perseverance rover a few weeks ago, took off from the surface of Mars at around 10:00 a.m. (Spanish time), but it was not until 1:00 p.m. when the data reached Earth and the team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Los Angeles have erupted in jubilation behind the masks.

The test flight lasted about 30 seconds. In this brief period of time, the device —0.49 meters high and weighing less than two kilos— has reached an altitude of about three meters and has descended to settle on an esplanade on the surface of the red planet; all controlled by remote control. For posterity, the image of the shadow of Ingenuity on the Martian soil that the device itself has captured by means of its camera remains. Also a quick takeoff video taken from Perseverance's point of view.

While flight time may taste like little, it represents a turning point in the history of aerospace engineering. Ingenuity is not equipped with scientific measurement instruments nor is it on a mission to support the Perseverance rover in its search for signs of ancient life in Jezero crater, where there is evidence that a huge delta existed more than 3.5 billion years ago. . The sole purpose of the helicopter is to demonstrate that it can fly in the extreme conditions of Mars. It is what is known as a technological demonstration: a project that seeks to find the limits of human capabilities.

However, it may give scientists a new perspective on the geology of the Red Planet and would allow them to explore from the air areas where a rover cannot be sent. If this technology proves successful, it could open the door for other advanced robotic flying vehicles, which would be part of future robotic or human missions.

NASA had to postpone the scheduled takeoff date twice due to technical problems, but the third time was the charm. The team yesterday sent the general commands for elevation and acceleration to the device, but the robot has to manage its flight autonomously, with its guidance, navigation and control systems, because it cannot receive orders in real time. The next step after this milestone is to attempt further experimental flights with increasing distance and altitude in a 30 Martian-day (31 Earth-day) window.

Objective: survive the Martian night

Temperatures on Mars can reach -90 degrees Celsius in the area where Ingenuity launched. These conditions have tested the limits of engineering, because, although the device has survived the tests that have been carried out on Earth simulating similar temperatures, it was unknown if it would also survive the icy Martian night.

In addition, Mars has a very thin atmosphere, with a density equal to 1% of Earth's. For that reason, Ingenuity is designed to be lightweight, with rotor blades that are much larger and spin much faster than would be required for a helicopter of its mass on Earth. The gravity of Mars plays in its favor: it represents barely a third of that on Earth. This implies that it is possible to lift more mass at the same rotational speed.