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Ingenuity. Who watched the briefing?

Everything that is sub-orbital or beyond.
 

Ethan13 24 Mar 21, 21:29Post
Briefing on the first flight of Ingenuity. I missed it. I wonder how long we have to wait for this flight. Why is flying a Martian helicopter so important? Ingenuity has no additional equipment.
Who watched the briefing? Was there anything interesting?
DXing 25 Mar 21, 00:09Post
I didn't get to see the briefing but I think it is all about the challenge of flight in the low pressure of the Mars atmosphere. There is some good reading on it here...


https://www.mathscinotes.com/2012/10/earth-altitude-with-equivalent-pressure-to-mars/#:~:text=The%20surface%20pressure%20on%20Mars%20is%20equivalent%20to,be%20wearing%20pressure%20suits%20while%20walking%20about%20Mars.

The quick and dirty....

Analysis
The quickest (and cheapest) way to find the altitudes we want is to go out to NASA's web site and download a table. Using this table, we can look up the altitudes that correspond to pressures of 0.3 millibars and 11.5 millibars. Those altitudes are:

11.5 millibars ⇒ 30.125 km = 98,350 feet
0.3 millibars ⇒ 57.150 km = 187,500 feet


Even with the lower gravity some serious RPM's are going to be needed to make something fly. You'd be better off with a blimp.
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
Ethan13 25 Mar 21, 22:08Post
Thanks for the link. Interesting thought about the airship. But apparently, there was a reason why this was not used. How big should it be? How do you make it light and strong enough?
DXing 26 Mar 21, 03:10Post
For their purposes what they have works. It doesn't carry a payload, it's just a vehicle used to get a different vantage point.

Between the lighter gravity and less dense atmosphere the bag would not have to be as pressurized or use as much gas. In the great scifi trilogy red/green/blue Mars, solar powered blimps were used to explore the planet. Not a half bad idea.
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
 

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