Flying a helicopter on Mars is getting 'harder and harder,' NASA says:
Havard Grip, Ingenuity's chief pilot, talked about the challenges facing the chopper in a NASA status update this week. The density of the atmosphere in the Jezero Crater is dropping, a factor Grip said has "a significant impact on Ingenuity's ability to fly."
[...] This doesn't mean Ingenuity will be grounded. "Thankfully, there is a way to tackle this issue, but it involves spinning the rotors even faster than we have been doing up to now," Grip said. "In fact, they will have to spin faster than we have ever attempted with Ingenuity or any of our test helicopters on Earth."
The plucky little rotorcraft is headed into uncharted territory as its team plans to test this speed-demon version of its rotors. NASA JPL said Ingenuity did a rotor spin test and could take off on its 14th flight as early as today. The flight will be short and will aim to show the chopper can handle lower atmospheric densities.
[...] The planned tests will be quite a workout for the chopper. "The motors will need to spin faster, the electrical system will need to deliver more power, and the entire rotor system will need to withstand the higher loads that come with increased rotor speeds," Grip said.
Ingenuity has a knack for overcoming challenges. It's made it through technical glitches and software updates and taken on increasingly more difficult flights. Here's hoping it soars right past this latest obstacle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 19 2021, @06:05PM
If they just used the 8th Barsoomian ray, none of this would be necessary. You're welcome.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 19 2021, @07:08PM (1 child)
Earth ships reach Mars and within a few short years use up any remaining atmosphere. Other resources to follow.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Sunday September 19 2021, @07:37PM
Old Soviet Joke: How do you know the Soviets are colonizing Mars? Well, the first 7 years you don't notice a lot, but then sand starts to be in short supply.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 19 2021, @08:04PM (6 children)
I must be missing something cuz last I heard the lower the ground the more atmospheric pressure and the more heavy gasses are trapped.
I would wonder why the density in this crater is an issue. Physics says heavy gasses settle, lighter gasses rise. Heavy gasses have higher densities. These types of gasses tend to settle into things like canyons valleys, craters, etc.
Then again, this is why we do science. Especially on other worlds, where things don't work like they do on earth.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 19 2021, @10:10PM (2 children)
TFA says its a seasonal thing. It must be heading into winter: a significant amount of Mar's atmosphere freezes into its CO2 ice caps.
(Score: 2) by bart9h on Monday September 20 2021, @02:26AM (1 child)
If it's seasonal, why don't they just wait for the pressure to get better again, instead of risking the equipment?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday September 20 2021, @03:14AM
That little chopper is unlikely to survive a stormy season. Best to get all the use possible out of it as quickly as possible. Remember Opportunity's last words? "It's getting dark and my feet are cold!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 19 2021, @11:43PM
Nah, Mars has weather, and weather mixes the gases, so there's no settling out of heavier ones, just like on earth. There is an altitude above which this no longer holds, of course, but certainly at the surface it does, as we've seen the dust in the whirlwinds.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday September 20 2021, @01:25AM
As I recall the atmosphere on Mars has a pressure equivalent to being around 21 miles above the Earth.
When there isn't much to start with even a little change in pressure can have a big impact on how things work and it wouldn't take much to change the local pressure. It might be getting to mid summer and the air is warming up a little, or some of the CO2 in the atmosphere might have condensed out at the polar cap on the Winter half of the planet, etc. And its not just local to the crater, think of how huge low pressure systems are on Earth.
Hopefully someone who knows extactly why the pressure has changed will chime in on the thread.
Usually Helicopters have a max flight cieling around 10,000ft IIRCC so the fact that Inginutiy managed to get off the ground at all is amazing.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday September 20 2021, @02:09AM
Many causes possible. Freezing atmosphere. Or the atmosphere heating up - remember how those storms on Earth follow at drop in atmospheric pressure [worldstormcentral.co]?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 19 2021, @08:32PM (1 child)
The closer we get to ROFLpocalypse the "harder and harder" my woody gets.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 20 2021, @02:51PM
Woodpeckers will find a difficult time on Mars given it's scarcity of trees. Doesn't matter how hard they peck, if they have significantly increased difficulty in locating a suitable tree. Once man made habitats are available, they will find better targets.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 4, Funny) by progo on Sunday September 19 2021, @10:39PM
Apple rigged the firmware so that it loses 2% of battery capacity during each mission. You'll have to bring it to an authorized Apple repair center to be told it can't be fixed and you need to buy a whole new unit. Can we interest you in an upgrade?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 20 2021, @01:12PM (4 children)
They needed more lift so increased the rotor speeds.
Wonder if it would do any good to synchronize the phase of the rotors so they work together like a bird's wings?
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Monday September 20 2021, @02:55PM (2 children)
Interesting idea.
As NASA makes a Mars helicopter more and more efficient, this will increase the probability of success of a lunar helicopter by some multiplier.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 20 2021, @09:13PM
"ill increase the probability of success of a lunar helicopter by some multiplier."
Sure, piece of cake. Zero times a multiplier is still...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 20 2021, @10:43PM
There's no lunar atmosphere, so no lunar helicopters.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 20 2021, @11:49PM
The rotors are counter-rotating so they already work together. Yaw control is achieved through differential RPM of the rotors, just like on terrestrial multi-rotors, so the phase angle can't stay synchronized, but that doesn't really matter.