NASA's Mars Helicopters - Past, Present and Future
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Abstract
On April 19, 2021, in the Jezero Crater on Mars, the Ingenuity rotorcraft performed the first powered flight on another planet marking a milestone in interplanetary exploration. Designed as a technology demonstrator and a secondary payload for NASA's Mars 2020 mission, its primary purpose was to prove that powered flight is possible in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere. It wasn't intended for transportation but rather to test the concept of aerial exploration on Mars. However, Mars Ingenuity's success demonstrated the potential for aerial exploration on Mars, paving the way for future missions to use helicopters and drones for scientific exploration, mapping, and reconnaissance on other planets. We celebrate Ingenuity’s success, explore the path it took to get there, and look at the future of autonomous flight on Mars.
Bio
Gregory Allen is a senior radiation effects engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. He has spent the last 20 years working in the radiation effects field, focusing on single event effects and technology infusion. Greg is the co-lead for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Space Radiation and Group Lead for the Radiation Effects Group. He has performed radiation hardness assurance activities on a plethora of Mars missions including MRO, MSL, Insight, Mars2020, Ingenuity, Mars Sample Return and Sample Return Helicopter, in addition to dozens other NASA JPL missions.
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ENGR-E 399/599: Microelectronics Radiation Effects and Reliability
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