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Mars 2020 drone9/12/2023 ![]() Deploy safely to the Martian surface from the belly pan of the Perseverance rover and unfold from its stowed position correctly. No ones ever flown an aircraft on Mars before, but in 2021, AeroVironment will try to do so. We are at the end of first part of checklist: the Ingenuity has landed! :-)ħ - Final opportunity to utilize Perseverance as a power source and charge Ingenuity’s six battery cell (done)ĩ - Check if Ingenuity’s four legs are firmly on the surface of Jezero Crater (done)ġ0 - Check if the rover did drive about 5 meters away (done) No ones ever flown an aircraft on Mars before, but in 2021, AeroVironment will try to do so. Lift off for the first time in the thin Martian atmosphere. Spin up its rotor blades for the first time (to a speed below what would be needed for flight). Confirm communications with the rover and flight operators on Earth. Charge (autonomously) using its solar panel. Keep warm (autonomously) through the intensely cold Martian nights (as frigid as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 90 degrees Celsius). Survive launch, cruise to Mars and landing on the Red Planet. (done)ģ - Extend two of four landing legs (done)Ĥ - A small electric motor will finish rotating Ingenuity until it latches, bringing the helicopter completely vertical ( done) (done)ĥ - Final two landing legs will snap into position (done)Ħ - The helicopter will hang suspended at about 13 centimeters over the Martian surface (done)ħ - Final opportunity to utilize Perseverance as a power source and charge Ingenuity’s six battery cellĩ - Check if Ingenuity’s four legs are firmly on the surface of Jezero Craterġ0 - Check if the rover did drive about 5 meters awayġ1 - Check if both helicopter and rover are communicating via their onboard radiosġ2 - Receive the final flight instructions from JPL mission controllers through Perseveranceġ3 - Survive the first night of the sequence period on the surface of Marsġ4 - Wiggle the rotor blades and verifying the performance of the inertial measurement unitġ5 - Test the entire rotor system during a spin-up to 2537 rpm (while Ingenuity’s landing gear remain firmly on the surface) (*)ġ7 - If all final self-checks look good, lift offġ8 - Climb at a rate of about 1 meter per secondĢ0 - Hover at 3 meters above the surface for up to 30 seconds.Ģ1 - Descend and touch back down on the Martian surface (done)Ģ - Fire a cable-cutting pyrotechnic device, enabling the mechanized arm that holds Ingenuity to begin rotating the Helicopter out of its horizontal position. Ingenuity cannot fly independent scouting missions significantly ahead of Perseverance, and cannot downlink any images without being able to talk to Perseverance.(but it's not a problem, it's not "13 centimeters above ground", legs appear to be just 3 cm above ground maybe the body is at 13 cm).ġ - Release the locking mechanism that helped hold the helicopter firmly against the rover’s belly during launch and Mars landing. That means any extended mission can only 'hop around' Perseverance's intended route, and must either land within signal range, or land ahead and hope Perseverance can reach it later before Ingenuity is rendered inoperable. In addition, the RF link electronics require power to keep heated, so as batteries degrade there will come a point where the solar power is insufficient to keep Ingenuity operational (able to receive new commands) while still charging enough for flight fast enough that it can be ready before Perseverance can move on - Perseverance has priority, it will not 'wait' for Ingenuity. The Mars 2020 mission carrying the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter drone entered the thin Martian atmosphere at around 12,500 mph and 2,370F before its parachutes and aerodynamics significantly slowed the descent. Any flight cannot result in a landing outside the area of communication with Perseverance (1000m line of sight, severely degraded if obstructed by terrain) or Ingenuity will be unable to be commanded. ![]() Ingenuity can communicate only via its 750mW Zigbee (900MHz US low band) link back to Perseverance, and can only fly pre-uploaded flight plans (moving between predetermined waypoints). No ones ever flown an aircraft on Mars before, but in 2021, AeroVironment will try to do so.
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