Аннотация: The sudden unexpected success of the Martian helicopter "Ingenuity" and the prospects for the project. An essay on the history of space exploration.
The sudden unexpected success of the Martian helicopter "Ingenuity" and the prospects for the project. An essay on the history of space exploration.
The Martian helicopter "Ingenuity" is interesting as a phenomenon of public consciousness.
Numerous teams are working on scientific projects. However, it is not these collectives that make decisions about financing their activities.
To some extent, funding depends on the population, on the voters.
Voters, the general public, regard the financing of scientific activity as something not particularly pleasant, but necessary and inevitable.
Sometimes there is a "short circuit" effect: the information about scientific and technological achievements arouses interest and enthusiasm among the general public.
The Martian helicopter "Ingenuity" just gave rise to such a "short circuit" effect.
The very emergence of this project looks like an intuitive initiative of the head of the JPL, Charles Elachi in 2012.
Since January 2015, the project has received funding as part of the JPL budget plan.
On June 30, 2016, Charles Elachi handed over the position to Michael M. Watkins.
During period of Michael M. Watkins, a helicopter arrived to Mars with the Perseverance rover.
On April 19, 2021, the helicopter made its first flight in the atmosphere of Mars.
On July 24, 2021, the helicopter set a speed record, and on August 16, 2021, a flight duration record.
On August 20, 2021, Michael M. Watkins handed over the position to Larry D. James.
The interest and enthusiasm of the general public was combined with opposite emotions - with the skepticism of a number of representatives of science and with a slight irony of some scientific observers.
The skepticism of some representatives of science was due to the weak integration of the Ingenuity project into the Perseverance rover project and into the rover's program of activities.
The helicopter could carry not so much scientific payload.
The 13th flight of the Martian helicopter, on September 05, 2021, took place outside (after) the planned date for decommissioning the helicopter. However, the US Congress approved the allocation of additional funds for the helicopter. This gave rise to the jokingly ironic remark that "Persistence" - it is the right name not for the rover, but for the helicopter.
May-June 2022 - for various reasons, there are some difficulties in the operation of the helicopter.
On May 16, 2022, Larry D. James hands over the position to Laurie Leshin.
29th flight, June 11, 2022, took place in the conditions of approaching Martian winter. There were difficulties with charging the batteries of the Martian helicopter and some failures in its operation.
30th flight has been delayed until August 2022.
We will not express irony.
The helicopter has demonstrated amazing survivability both as a phenomenon of public consciousness, generating interest and enthusiasm of the general public to scientific projects, and as a unique technical phenomenon.
On June 15, 2021, the Ingenuity team received the John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration for 2021.
On April 5, 2022, the 2021 Collier Trophy (The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award) was awarded to Ingenuity and its group at JPL.
Probably, in the second half of 2022, the prospects for the project of Martian helicopter will become clear.
[MMXXIII. A long-awaited successful breakthrough in nanotechnology. MiMi Aung and the space helicopter 'Ingenuity'. A super brief review. - February 20, 2021.].
July 25, 2022 22:21
Translation from Russian into English: July 25, 2022 23:25.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Внезапный неожиданный успех марсианского вертолёта 'Ingenuity' и перспективы проекта. Очерк истории освоения космоса'.
{ 3107. Внезапный неожиданный успех марсианского вертолёта 'Ingenuity' и перспективы проекта. Очерк истории освоения космоса.
MMMLXXVIII. The sudden unexpected success of the Martian helicopter "Ingenuity" and the prospects for the project. An essay on the history of space exploration.
Vladimir Zalessky Internet-bibliotheca. Интернет-библиотека Владимира Залесского}