First Flight On Mars

On April 19, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter became the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

Our most recent package details the historic first flight of the 4-lb. robotic rotorcraft, which lasted 39.1 seconds, and its follow-up venture on April 22, and looks ahead to its future test program. The technology lays the groundwork for aerial exploration of Mars, an aeronautical feat given the air density of Mars is less than 1% of the density on Earth. See below for more.

“How do we use aerial mobility in the future on Mars, to help not just robotic exploration, but to help human exploration?”
Ellen Stofan
Smithsonian
Sep 03, 2014
The full-length version of AW&ST's August 2014 interview with Iridium CEO Matthew Desch and Aireon President and CEO Donald Thoma is below, with web-only excerpts highlighted in green.
Sep 03, 2014
DubaiSat-2 developed by Emirates Institution of Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has captured an image of the Dubai International airport from outer space.
Sep 01, 2014
The Moon is the next world for humanity to explore and turn into a new home—even as we push out into the deeper ocean of space. -Forty-five years ago, a few of us wandered her surface, yet we turned away, not realizing the importance of what we had done—or what could be done. Now it is clearly time to return and, by learning how to live there, to prepare ourselves to plant the seeds of humanity on the red sands of Mars.
Sep 01, 2014
SLS cleared for full development, but risk assessment may push first launch back to late 2018
Aug 29, 2014
In September 1999, the National Reconnaissance Office dumped its incumbent imagery satellite contractor, Lockheed Martin, in favor of a bolder and less costly proposal led by Boeing.
Aug 28, 2014
"Imagine we land humans on Mars and we have five to 10 robots we can send out to areas of interest for our researchers to look at," said Randy Bresnik, NEEMO 19's commander.