For several years, the focus and attention of NASA have had a clear objective; discover any possible aspect that may determine that there is life on Mars. There are already several missions carried out on the floor of the Red Planet. However, many more expeditions still lie ahead. In fact, it is expected that, sometime in the next decade, the arrival of human beings may be possible.
It is very easy to predict when this historic moment will happen, but the truth is that many advances have been made in this area. The US public body continues to burn stages pending the conditions to carry out this milestone. One of the most outstanding steps to achieve this end will be the shipment of Ingenuity, a somewhat peculiar vehicle.
Ingenuity will enable more key evidence for NASA in its Mars research
Who does not remember Curiosity and its qualities to overcome obstacles on the pavement? At Urban Tecno, just a few days ago, we showed you how I could explain that life exists on Mars through some rocks in the ocean. As the public company has shown, this new option will allow greater traceability thanks to its qualities. Thus, it will be easier to obtain the desired response.
Now, what should a kind of hybrid between drone and helicopter destined to cover distances on Mars in search of water? There are several attributes that one of the projects that have kept the most secrets for a few years has. The mission is expected to begin in February of next year. The name of this new step will be Mars 2020 and it aims to be essential for the future.
So, let’s see what the main qualities of this new technology will be, why it has become one of the most outstanding innovations of NASA and, of course, what are the objectives that have been set so that, in less than a year, this peculiar solution is put into orbit.
Ingenuity will play a leading role in obtaining data on Mars
For the first time, the public company will send 2 fully differentiated units to Mars. Both will be part of the Mars 2020 program with the aim of determining whether there is life on the Red Planet. If the Perseverance project was presented a few weeks ago, just a few hours ago, this curious helicopter capable of traveling through the sky of the planet closest to Earth was unveiled.
As can be read in the Space media, thanks to this new technology, images can be captured from a perspective never seen before. In this way, it will be much more feasible to investigate further possible remains of water or other substances to be taken into account to draw up new plans for the search for life on the planet.
Ingenuity has solar panels to recharge its own power batteries
Now, how will your work be possible in different climatic conditions than those on Earth? To take advantage of its qualities, light and resistant materials have been used. In this way, Ingenuity weighs just 1.8 kilograms, a record that matches some of the proposals that can be purchased in the drone market today.
It is designed to work in extreme situations. Therefore, it has its own ventilation and heating system, which will be powered by the battery. This, in turn, will be charged thanks to the installation of a solar panel that will capture sunlight during the day. In this way, it is a self-sufficient variant and also has autonomous driving.
A job that will get new views of the Red Planet
Its operation will be something different from what it might seem. If you were thinking about long-distance flights, the truth is that you are wrong. Ingenuity is designed to carry out very short flights in order to reduce the risk of breakdowns. For this reason, only a few minutes will rise from the ground to take images from a certain height.
Even so, it is hoped that this technology will allow us to increase the information we currently have on the planet, which, by distance, would allow us to expand civilization in a hypothetical future. Having this new photographic material will serve to obtain new clues about those spaces where new explorations could be made.
NASA is expected to give the project the green light next February. For this, the ship will leave Cape Canaberal, the most famous place related to this kind of space missions. Therefore, it is hoped that these months will serve to culminate a project on which the American body has worked for so long.