Chopper on Mars

[Wayne_H]

About as far from "Retro" as you can get, but interesting non-the-less

On April 19th, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter completed a quick test flight on Mars, making it the first powered aircraft to fly on another planet. Check it out @

https://www.reviewgeek.com/78554/nasas- ... t-on-mars/

[MaxZ]

How about the Lunar Module taking off from the Moon in 1969, doesn't that qualify as an "powered aircraft to fly on another planet"? Yes, I know, the Moon is not a planet (or is it?), but, well, it's a moon.....
Anyway, you have to carefully word these kind of claims..

Max.

[Spike S]

Doesn't "flight" imply generation of aerodynamic forces ? The lunar module's trajectory was that of a ballistic projectile.

[Stew]

Does an aircraft have to operate in air? I wonder where the limits of the definition are?
I think the X15 and it's brethren were technically aircraft, but were able to fly above what we would consider 'air' and used hypergolic fuel 'thrusters' to adjust attitude I believe.
I don't think I'd consider the lunar module an aircraft, but the rotorcraft on Mars certainly is, however thin the atmosphere.

[Martin]

They still call it 'spaceflight' even when it's in a vacuum. There really ought to be a different word for non-aerodynamic flight.

[Shaun]

The dictionary definition of flight is :-

An act of flying; a journey made through the air or in space.

So we don't have to change anything

[Mike_K]

And it isn't the first "non-rocket-powered" flight on a planet, the Russians flew balloons on Venus years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_program

It's the first controlled take-off and then landing back on a planet (we can't count the Rosetta's Philae lander bouncing on Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko). I hope they'd applied for their CAA drone operators licence first?! But as NASA is American, that should be their "Remote Pilot Certificate" from the FAA. In all seriousness, it's quite an achievement when you can't test fly the model on earth, as our atmosphere is too dense and our gravity too great, then take it 183 million miles for its test flight.

[MaxZ]

In all seriousness, it's quite an achievement when you can't test fly the model on earth, as our atmosphere is too dense and our gravity too great, then take it 183 million miles for its test flight.

No doubt about that, Mike. I never meant to demote that achievement, just to start a little word play..

[ozrs]

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[Pchristy]

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Pete