JAKARTA, iNews.id – Fight helicopter Mars NASA has paid off as Ingenuity continues to soar above the landscape Mars as a scout for the Perseverance rover. However, the helicopter task is getting more and more difficult to do.
Harvard Grip, Ingenuity’s chief pilot spoke about the challenges helicopters face in this week’s NASA status update. The density of the atmosphere in Jezero Crater is decreasing, a factor Grip says has a significant impact on Ingenuity’s ability to fly.
The density of the atmosphere, which can fluctuate over time and with changing seasons, affects how much thrust Ingenuity needs to get off the ground and into the air. The lower density makes it more difficult to perform these tasks.
Even a full-size helicopter on Earth has to take into account the density of the atmosphere. The intelligence is optimized to work in the Martian atmosphere, which has a density similar to Earth’s at sea level, but the helicopter survives long enough to experience changing conditions.
This doesn’t mean Ingenuity will be grounded. Luckily, there is a way to solve this problem. However, it involves a faster rotation of the rotor than NASA has done up to now.
“In fact, they should spin faster than we’ve ever tried with Ingenuity or our test helicopters on Earth,” Grip said as quoted by Cnet.
Editor: Dini Listiyani
