On Monday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that Ingenuity has succeeded in being the first powered flight on another planet. The Southern California space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed the news after scientists received data from the four-pound rotor plane at 6:46 a.m. East Coast time.
“Ingenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects reaching a space exploration goal once thought impossible,” said NASA acting administrator Steve Jurczyk. “We don’t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today’s results indicate that the sky – at least on Mars – may not be the limit.”
As Salon previously reported, Ingenuity was designed as an experiment to see if it is possible to fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere.
The historic moment, the first powered flight on another world, will be followed this decade by an even more extensive powered flight on another world. Indeed, NASA plans to place a much larger helicopter, called Dragonfly, on Saturn’s large moon Titan by 2027.
While both Dragonfly and Ingenuity are similar in the sense that they both fly on different worlds, their construction couldn’t be more different. From the way they are powered to their sheer mass, comparing the two is like comparing an eagle to a mosquito in terms of scale.
What is the Dragonfly Mission?
In 2027, Dragonfly will be launched from Earth and embarking on an eight-year journey to Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system. As with Persistence on Mars, the goal of this astrobiological mission is to increase our world’s understanding of the “building blocks of life” and to look for signs of life on Titan, NASA said.
Despite its great distance from the sun, Saturn’s largest moon has many special features that make it a candidate to be habitable through life as we know it, past or present. Titan has clouds, rivers, lakes, and rain above its icy surface – although they are not made of water, but hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane. Titan is also the only moon in the solar system known to have a substantial atmosphere. Like the earth, it consists mainly of nitrogen.
“Visiting this mysterious ocean world could revolutionize what we know about life in the universe,” said former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This groundbreaking mission would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago, but we are now ready for Dragonfly’s amazing flight.”
The entire mission will cost about $ 1 billion.
What is the Dragonfly Helicopter Plane?
Dragonfly is a dual-quadcopter – also known as an “octocopter” because of its eight blades that help it float – designed to explore multiple locations on Titan in one flight. Each rotor will be configured to tolerate the loss of at least one rotor or motor. The lithium battery helicopter plane can travel up to 22 miles per hour and climb an altitude of about 13,000 feet. Every 16 Earth days (one Titan day), the rotorcraft jumps to its next location and stays charged by using its radioactive power source – a much more reliable and compact power source than solar panels. Unlike Ingenuity, which was four pounds and is solar powered, Dragonfly will weigh about 990 pounds and packaged in a 3-foot diameter heat shield.
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It will also be a lot easier for Titan to fly than it is for Ingenuity. Titan has a dense atmosphere, about four times the density of Earth, and low gravity, making it easier to fly. Ingenuity is designed to succeed in the lean atmosphere of Mars; flying is a much easier task on Titan.
Dragonfly is expected to land in the dunes on the edge of a region of Titan brutally known as Shangri-La. The helicopter will take samples from areas of interesting geography and then travel to the Selk impact crater, where there is evidence that liquid water previously existed.
What will Dragonfly study?
Scientists believe that Titan resembles a very early Earth. Hence, it may give us clues as to how life on Earth came to be. Specifically, scientists hope to measure the composition of solid hydrocarbon materials on Titan’s surface, which could reveal how probiotic chemistry has evolved in environments with important known ingredients for life.
Will it still set records in flight?
Yes. Ingenuity is now the first motor-controlled flight to another planet. And if Dragonfly succeeds, it will be the second helicopter plane to fly on a celestial body other than Earth. Cameras on the rotorcraft will also stream images in flight, giving people on Earth a view of Saturn’s moon. And of course, at nearly half a ton, it will set a record for the heaviest powered craft flown on another planet.
How long will this take?
Dragonfly will hop around Titan for at least two and a half years.