Published in Journal of Industrial Engineering and Robotics, Volume 5, Number 2
Written by GOLOGAN Ioana-Elisa, IFTODE Ana-Lorena
Scientific coordinators: Marius DUMITRAS

Ingenuity is a small robotic helicopter and is part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It has been on Mars since February 18, 2021 and is destined to make the first motorized atmospheric flight on a planet beyond Earth. The main objective is to test the capabilities of such a device in the field of optical ground reconnaissance in this environment characterized by a very thin atmosphere that limits the lift and communication delays that prevent any direct control of the flight by a human operator. Because Ingenuity is classified as a technological demonstration and due to its small size, a lot of offthe-shelf consumer hardware was used for it. As a conclusion of the Ingenuity helicopter program, the Perseverence rover will begin to fulfill its ambitious scientific mission: searching for signs of ancient microbial life, characterizing the climate and geology of Mars, and collecting carefully selected evidence for future return to Earth.

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