Robot successfully took off and landed on Red Planet.
Being classified by some as a Wright Brothers 21st century fete, NASA’s miniature robot helicopter Ingenuity performed a successful takeoff and landing on Mars early Monday. It is the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft over the surface of another planet, the space agency said.
Ingenuity’s success could pave the way for a new mode of exploration on Mars and other destinations in the solar system, such as Venus and Saturn’s moon Titan.
Mars has much less gravity to overcome than does Earth. Its atmosphere is just 1 percent as dense, making it especially difficult to generate aerodynamic lift. To compensate, engineers equipped it with rotor blades that are longer (four feet long) and spin more rapidly than would be needed on Earth for a similar aircraft of its size.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- With appreciation for the God-given minds of the scientists and engineers that worked on Ingenuity and its goal of flight.
- For God’s purpose to be accomplished as officials pursue the future mission of sending humans to Mars and possibly colonize that planet.
- For leaders of NASA as space exploration continues to advance.
Sources: Reuters, Business Insider
