NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover

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Discussion

annodomini2

6,861 posts

251 months

Thursday 22nd April 2021
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MartG said:
Another success for Perseverance - making oxygen from Mar's atmosphere

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-m...
Good research, but the article is probably wildly underestimating return requirements.

It's probably more likely to be a Starship on Mars, than an alternative at this time.

Starship will require vastly more than 25t of propellant.

MartG

20,670 posts

204 months

Thursday 22nd April 2021
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Clive Milk

429 posts

40 months

Saturday 24th April 2021
quotequote all
MartG said:
Another success for Perseverance - making oxygen from Mar's atmosphere

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-m...
beerdrink

In the greater scheme of things that is far better than the drone flight

Clive Milk

429 posts

40 months

Saturday 24th April 2021
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The geo chemical optical side of this new rover really kicks ass.

With some good luck it is going to be stting out stuff too to be brought home.

SpudLink

5,760 posts

192 months

Sunday 25th April 2021
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MartG

20,670 posts

204 months

Sunday 25th April 2021
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Latest pic...


Beati Dogu

Original Poster:

8,887 posts

139 months

Sunday 25th April 2021
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It’s even smaller than I thought. laugh

JeremyH5

1,584 posts

135 months

Sunday 25th April 2021
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MartG said:
Latest pic...

Excellent! I can even spot which Lego bits you’ve used.
laugh

xeny

4,308 posts

78 months

Sunday 25th April 2021
quotequote all
Spud said:
Colour photo from Ingenuity and video of Ingenuity
Thanks - I'm surprised they've not taken a photo of Perseverance yet.

Beati Dogu

Original Poster:

8,887 posts

139 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
Third choppa flight completed OK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNx9hcrUpww

5 meters up and 50 meters off to the site and back.


SpudLink

5,760 posts

192 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
Beati Dogu said:
Third choppa flight completed OK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNx9hcrUpww

5 meters up and 50 meters off to the site and back.
50 meters! Brilliant. Is it safe to declare Ingenuity a success?

Leithen

10,877 posts

267 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
SpudLink said:
Beati Dogu said:
Third choppa flight completed OK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNx9hcrUpww

5 meters up and 50 meters off to the site and back.
50 meters! Brilliant. Is it safe to declare Ingenuity a success?
Yes!

Smiljan

10,835 posts

197 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
SpudLink said:
50 meters! Brilliant. Is it safe to declare Ingenuity a success?
I'd say it's a success. I notice it lands back close to but no exactly where it took off from, how is it navigating?

SpudLink

5,760 posts

192 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
Smiljan said:
I'd say it's a success. I notice it lands back close to but no exactly where it took off from, how is it navigating?
There’s an interview here with the senior software engineer on the project:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/aerospace/robo...

“We use a cellphone-grade IMU, a laser altimeter (from SparkFun), and a downward-pointing VGA camera for monocular feature tracking. A few dozen features are compared frame to frame to track relative position to figure out direction and speed, which is how the helicopter navigates. It’s all done by estimates of position, as opposed to memorizing features or creating a map.”
“ We also have an inclinometer that we use to establish the tilt of the ground just during takeoff”

FunkyNige

8,882 posts

275 months

Monday 26th April 2021
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Interesting that they've only got two more flights, the BBC says:
Nasa officials have granted the Ingenuity engineering team two more flights before Perseverance is commanded to get on with its primary mission of searching for life in Jezero.

I wonder how much scope there is for the last mission to fly as far as possible to see what the limits of the batteries are, or maybe fly on top of a hill to take a big panoramic picture. Obviously getting the data back to Perseverance and then back home is the issue in those scenarios.

bmwmike

6,945 posts

108 months

Monday 26th April 2021
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Amazing tech and achievement.

Thought they were going to use the drone as a pathfinder.

ChocolateFrog

25,216 posts

173 months

Monday 26th April 2021
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FunkyNige said:
Interesting that they've only got two more flights, the BBC says:
Nasa officials have granted the Ingenuity engineering team two more flights before Perseverance is commanded to get on with its primary mission of searching for life in Jezero.

I wonder how much scope there is for the last mission to fly as far as possible to see what the limits of the batteries are, or maybe fly on top of a hill to take a big panoramic picture. Obviously getting the data back to Perseverance and then back home is the issue in those scenarios.
Or attempt to hop the flights to keep up with the Rover with no concern if it doesn't make it.

SpudLink

5,760 posts

192 months

Monday 26th April 2021
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bmwmike said:
Amazing tech and achievement.

Thought they were going to use the drone as a pathfinder.
I don’t think that was the plan. I hope that now it’s proven its capability, they consider making use of it.

bmwmike

6,945 posts

108 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
SpudLink said:
bmwmike said:
Amazing tech and achievement.

Thought they were going to use the drone as a pathfinder.
I don’t think that was the plan. I hope that now it’s proven its capability, they consider making use of it.
Definitely. Seems a waste to have the tech capability and not use it, but on the flipside these things need to be costed and have bums on seats back on Earth presumably.


Smiljan

10,835 posts

197 months

Monday 26th April 2021
quotequote all
SpudLink said:
There’s an interview here with the senior software engineer on the project:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/aerospace/robo...

“We use a cellphone-grade IMU, a laser altimeter (from SparkFun), and a downward-pointing VGA camera for monocular feature tracking. A few dozen features are compared frame to frame to track relative position to figure out direction and speed, which is how the helicopter navigates. It’s all done by estimates of position, as opposed to memorizing features or creating a map.”
“ We also have an inclinometer that we use to establish the tilt of the ground just during takeoff”
Brilliant, thanks for that info beer