Presentation: April 2021

This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 26 Apr 2021
Subject: Ingenuity - The Mars Helicopter
Description: Jeff's presentation for this month was on a rather timely subject, namely, the Ingenuity helicopter that was placed on the Martian surface and was now undergoing test flights.  These flights were intended for the purpose of ensuring correct operation in the rarefied Martian atmosphere, which has been likened to flying a similar helicopter at 87,000 feet here on Earth.  This also means ensuring correct operation in the frigid Martian cold, which can be as low as -130° Fahrenheit.

At the time of this presentation, it had completed 3 of 5 of these tests with flying colors (so to speak).  Its rotor, spanning about 4 feet. was able to generate enough lift to raise its 1.5 lb. (on Mars) body over 17 feet above the surface and survey its surroundings.

For more information, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/

Bonus Aerospace Minute by Jeff

Also on 30-September, Jeff brought up the recent findings made by the Mars rover Curiosity and its mission regarding the discovery of significant quantities of water in the Martian soil.  These findings indicate that the soil consists of up to 2% water, which works out to roughly a quart of water in each cubic foot of soil.  This would make the extraction of enough water to meet the needs of future Martian explorers possible, providing a huge advantage over shipping enough water from Earth to meet those needs.

Interestingly, the water contained in the Martian soil is rich in deuterium, a so-called "heavy" hydrogen isotope with an extra neutron in its nucleus as compared to protium, the predominant isotope.  The percentage of deuterium in the soil is roughly the same as the percentage of deuterium in the Martian atmosphere, implying that the soil is absorbing the water directly from the air.

One source among many: a space.com article.

Aerospace Minute by David

On 26-August, David's Aerospace Minute was about the Inspiration Mars Foundation, a planned civilian fly-by of Mars by a group headed by multimillionnaire Dennis Tito.  This organization intends to launch a manned mission to perform a flyby of the planet Mars in January 2018.

Click here for more information