2024-01-29 10:48:00
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Mars, as we have never seen it
Ingenuity’s mission to Mars has concluded successfully, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new phase in space exploration. This helicopter, the first to fly on another planet, has not only exceeded expectations by making 72 flights—14 times more than planned—but It has also paved the way for future missions in the Solar System.
Ingenuity demonstrated remarkable adaptability and resilience during its stay on the red planet. Surviving extreme conditions, from dust storms to the intense cold of the Martian winterthe helicopter faced challenges that forced engineers to rethink and adapt their strategies.
Video: Curiosities about Mars
These learnings have not only proven the feasibility of controlled flights on Mars but have also provided valuable lessons for future missions.
what’s coming
NASA and other space agencies, inspired by the success of the Ingenuity mission, are already developing new generations of aircraft for the exploration of Mars and beyond. The China National Space Administration, for example, is working on a similar helicopter for its Tianwen 3 mission, which will seek to collect samples of Martian soil.
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The strategy includes the launch of two Long March 5 rockets: the first equipped with a module designed to orbit and return to Earth, and the second carrying a module designed to land and then take off from the Martian surface.
This last module will use a robotic arm to collect 500 grams of rock samples and deposit them in the module prepared for takeoff. Later, this module will meet and dock in space with the orbital module, which will ultimately transport the samples back to our planet.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), creator of Ingenuity, is not far behind and is in the process of designing two more powerful helicopters for the mission. Mars Sample Return. These new models, with longer and stronger blades, are undergoing rigorous testing to ensure their ability to fly in the thin atmospheres of other worlds.
MAGGIE
In addition, even bolder concepts are being explored, such as Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE), a fixed-wing VTOL aircraft designed for atmospheric and geophysical research. These initiatives reflect a new era in space exploration, where air mobility will play a crucial role in collecting data and discovering the secrets of other planets.
With its battery fully charged, MAGGIE can cover a distance of 179 km flying at an altitude of 1,000 meters, which translates into the ability to travel 16,048 km during a Martian year (equivalent to 24 Earth months). To give an idea of the magnitude, the total circumference of Mars is 21,344 km.
Ge-Cheng Zha
Design of the Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE) vehicle.
The deployment of an autonomous aircraft like MAGGIE on Mars would open up broad possibilities for use, starting with atmospheric and geophysical studies. This includes investigations to determine the origin of the methane that el rover Curiosity has detected or understood how the dynamo effect formed in the planet’s core.
It would also serve to map subsurface water ice deposits in mid-latitudes, possibly revealing smaller, more accessible sources of water for future human missions than those recently discovered by ESA’s Mars Express probe.
Mars Science Helicopter
For his part, the Mars Science Helicopter NASA’s (MSH) represents the next evolutionary step in Mars exploration by rotorcraft. The main objective is to develop the technology necessary to transport scientific payloads (0.5 kg to 2 kg) on rotorcraft platforms on the surface of Mars.
The MSH will incorporate many of the technologies developed by the Mars Helicopter Technology Demonstrator (MHTD)planned for the Mars 2020 mission, and will expand its capabilities to allow a new type of mesoscale access to the planet Mars.
It will be crucial to design and demonstrate how scientific payloads can be deployed, recovered, integrated and operated on a rotorcraft that is both dynamically and computationally representative, to open a new horizon in the scientific exploration of Mars.
NASA
NASA’s Mars Science Helicopter (MSH) represents the next evolutionary step in Mars exploration using rotorcraft.
In short, Ingenuity, more than a mission, has been a precursor, demonstrating that the sky is not the limit when it comes to space exploration. His legacy inspires future missions that, armed with innovation and acquired knowledge, will continue to discover the mysteries of the universe.
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