Thanks For The Mars Helicopter, John
WRT that whole #Mars helicopter thing.
How it started. How it's going.
H/T @SciAstro (John Grunsfeld) who pushed really hard to make this happen. #Ingenuity #countdowntomars pic.twitter.com/vKSUFkzgZw
— MarsToday (@marstoday) April 19, 2021
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Surely progress and success has many antecedents but this is one them. An Ames test flight of a fixed wing aircraft at 100,000 ft. First demonstration of flight in Mars like conditions by “Orville” in early September, 2001.
Interesting and cool, but it doesn’t look like it’s worth $85 million.
Suffice to say, from a fly on the wall, that without John’s singular efforts, neither the mission, nor the helicopter would have continued. Often great efforts are preceded by tremendous work behind the scenes. Our country is much the better for it.