Many have asked: Is that a rainbow on Mars? No. Rainbows aren’t possible here. Rainbows are created by light reflected off of round water droplets, but there isn’t enough water here to condense, and it’s too cold for liquid water in the atmosphere. This arc is a lens flare.
For 50 years, AeroVironment has advanced UAV development. Today, the company is a Technology Solutions Provider at the intersection of four future-defining technologies: robotics, sensors, analytics and connectivity. Its culture of experimentation and R&D dates back to its founder, Dr. Paul MacCready Jr., whose achievements earned him the nickname “the father of human-powered flight”. From deploying the world’s most popular sUAS to designing the helicopter that’s en route to fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere, AeroVironment’s collective accomplishments provide a case study of imagination, innovation and collaboration — one that has and will bring effective solutions to frontlines, farms and frontiers, yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Leading the Way: UAS Capabilities – Onward and Upward
From solar-powered aircraft to the first hand-launched small UAS (sUAS) for military reconnaissance, AeroVironment literally launched the era of small aerial vehicles for environmental, commercial and defense purposes. For 35 years, the company has made its UAVs smaller and simpler, yet with multiple and ever-more-innovative functionality.
Are you ready for a little Ingenuity?
NASA will this week make its first attempt at powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet.
Do not be afraid of what you see. Even though the robotics industry has been making huge progress lately, it hasn’t quite reached the level you see here.
Researchers detected the Cepheus spur, a bridge of massive blue stars, while creating the most accurate map of the galaxy to date.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has separated from the Perseverance rover on Mars. It’s almost ready to pioneer a new form of space exploration.
On a metal mission to a dead planet.
Information about NASA’s Psyche mission, which will explore a unique metallic asteroid.
Tune in for this live Q&A with Ingenuity experts to get the latest updates on the Mars Helicopter, and next steps for this trailblazing technology demonstration.
Talent:
• MiMi Aung, Mars Helicopter Project Manager.
• Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity Deputy Operations Lead.
NASA tracks the microbes that live on the space station, and sometimes it discovers new ones. Those hardy bugs may offer clues about surviving long missions.
There’s an additional reason why international agreement and co-operation in the outer space domain is crucial: the peaceful use of outer space, as required by the Outer Space Treaty.
In October 2020, eight countries signed a NASA-led initiative called the Artemis Accords. These included the United States, Canada, Australia and Luxembourg. Notably absent were Russia and China, who have since agreed to collaborate with each other on space initiatives.
Legal issues about the ownership of space resources must urgently be addressed to avoid space wars over natural resources between superpowers like the U.S., Russia and China. This includes the legal status of the Artemis Accords. Ideally, it should be done before space mining starts.
