'Everybody thought it was not gonna fly.'
was mounted over the Perseverance Mars rover’s belly for the trip to Mars. The tiny robotic coaxial helicopter and related delivery vehicles are all part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.JPL, in collaboration with AeroVironment, Inc., NASA's Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, Lockheed Martin Space, and SolAero, developed Ingenuity. The 19 inches tall solar-powered helicopter has rotors that span around four feet and spin at about 2,400 rpm.
I traveled to the U.S. and submitted applications to numerous universities after completing my high school education in Gaza. And after being accepted, I [did not spend long at] the first university I had planned to attend. I barely spent one semester at Pennsylvania before switching to the University of Kentucky because of the high tuition fees, which made it difficult for me to maintain my academic standing. I put in a lot of effort at Kentucky, making pizza and sandwiches to pay for school.
Some people may think that I only received a fellowship because I am from Gaza, but that is not the case. I had to work hard and take on underpaid jobs to gain experience and build my skills in power electronics and electric propulsion. I've continued to work on that even to this day, and if I had to summarize my career, I'd say, “electrify everything.
To create the Ingenuity helicopter, we had to design every component with efficiency in mind. This included the electronics, body, chassis, and prop, which all had to be lightweight and durable. We used carbon fiber and custom belts to ensure that the weight stayed under 40 grams. The design process involved finding ways to minimize errors while meeting all requirements. This meant that there was often little margin for error, with most designs allowing for a maximum of 10-20 percent deviation.
Presenting this idea to NASA chief engineers during design reviews was a challenge because it went against their usual practices. They would ask me questions like, "Why are you doing it this way? What is the reliability analysis? How many hours can this motor be tested? Why design something that can only be used for 120 seconds? We need to consider our wants versus our needs."
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Philadelphia man recalls Florida helicopter crash and the NFL QB who came to his rescue'I really thought I was going to die in that helicopter.' A Philadelphia man and his parents were on a helicopter when it crashed in Florida. Moments later, an NFL quarterback came to their aid.
Read more »
Florida man arrested for temporarily blinding police helicopter pilot with laser: 'Mess around and find out'Florida police arrested a man for shining a laser into the cockpit of a police helicopter that temporarily blinded an officer and forced him to hand over the controls.
Read more »
Pa. man recounts Florida helicopter crash and being saved by Buccaneers quarterback Blaine GabbertA Philadelphia man who was on a helicopter that crashed off the coast of Tampa, Florida last week talks about those harrowing moments of uncertainty and the remarkable rescue an NFL quarterback managed to pull off.
Read more »
Mars Has Bizarre Dunes Thanks to its Low Atmospheric Pressure and Strange WindsIn a recent study published in Nature Communications, an international team of researchers led by Stanford University used artificial intelligence (AI) to examine the formation of sand ripples and sand dunes of two distinct sizes on Mars. These formations might help scientists better understand Mars’ atmospheric history through examining the fossilized forms of these aeolian … Continue reading 'Mars Has Bizarre Dunes Thanks to its Low Atmospheric Pressure and Strange Winds'
Read more »
Forget Mars: Let's Terraform Venus Instead!Comparatively speaking, Venus is a 'tear-down and rebuild' with some serious asbestos issues kind of planet! Still, it's a viable alternative. Step inside and discover how so.
Read more »
Volcanic Activity on Mars Upends Red Planet AssumptionsA mass of moving material on Mars called a mantle plume may be causing marsquakes and volcanism
Read more »