NASA successfully flew its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars today at 07:34 UTC just over a month after landing on the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover. Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to an altitude of 10 feet (3 meters) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight. This marks the first powered, controlled flight on another planet in human history. Perseverance captured high-resolution footage of the groundbreaking flight in the Jezero Crater.
NASA Resources
- Press Release: NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight
- Video: First Video of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in Flight, Includes Takeoff and Landing (High-Res)
- Mars 2020 Mission
- About the Perseverance Rover
- About the Mars helicopter Ingenuity
- Veritasium: Mars Helicopter
Media Coverage
- New York Times: NASA's Mars Helicopter Completes First Flight on Another Planet
- BBC: Nasa successfully flies small helicopter on Mars
- CNN: NASA's Mars helicopter takes its first flight
- NPR: Success! NASA's Ingenuity Makes 1st Powered Flight On Mars
- Space.com: NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes off on historic 1st powered flight on another world
I had this discussion with a friend once, but never reached a conclusion.
Let's assume a 80kg human without aerodynamic clothing or hairstyle. Let's disregard the fact that the human body has no point where the needed bone structure and muscles could be be attached, although that, too, is an interesting subject (we'd want to keep our arms and hands as they are now don't we?)
For mere gliding at a glide ratio of say, 5, what would the needed wingspan be?
What about self-powered flight? Could it work? I doubt that the human metabolism is up to the job, and the wingspan for this would have to be even bigger.
It seems the biggest specimen to ever achieve this is the Pteranodon, which weighed anything from 20 to 93kg and had a wingspan of 7 meters.
Is there anything humans can throw that will fly further than a golf disc? I can't think of anything.
That is all.
HUMAN POWERED HEALTH
| Code | Name | Nation | UCI Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPW | HUMAN POWERED HEALTH | USA | 24 |
Originally launched in 2012 as Optum Pro Cycling, the team became Rally Cycling in 2016. In late 2021 they announced another name change, to Human Powered Health, and indicated they would step up from the continental level to the Women's World Tour. The team has also taken the step up as an opportunity for a rebuild, with almost the entire 2021 roster transferring out.
#2021 Season Recap
Rally had a tough 2021 season, with no wins coming their way all year. Aside from a strong performance by Clara Koppenburg at the Vuelta a Burgos and a podium placing from Heidi Franz in the Joe Martin Stage Race, the team didn't really factor all that much throughout the year. Chloe Hosking's transfer out after the 2020 season certainly affected their results, since she had brought the team most of its success in 2020. However, with a step up to the World Tour, the team will be on the startlist for many bigger races, and will no doubt have more chances to prove themselves this year.
Top Riders Last 5 Years
| Rank | 2021 (points UCI) | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koppenburg (309) | Hosking (465) | Doebel-Hickok (343) | Poidevin (213) | Lay (126) |
| 2 | Doebel-Hickok (126) | Doebel-Hickok (58) | Bergen (110) | Bergen (175) | Poidevin (53) |
| 3 | Ray (80) | Poidevin (42) | Beveridge (100) | White (134) | Bergen (46) |
| 4 | Poidevin (60) | Ganzar (28) | White (83) | Lay (130) | White (34) |
| 5 | Franz (30) | Franz (15) | Ellsay (58) | Catlin (80) | Beveridge (13) |
| Tot. | 614 | 615 | 735 | 652 | 259 |
| UCI Rank | 24 | 19 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
Top Results 2021
According to UCI Points
| Rnk. | Race | Rider | Placement | Points^UCI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vuelta a Burgos Femeninas | Clara Koppenburg | 4 | 220 |
| 2. | National Championship RR - Canada | Sara Poidevin | 3 | 60 |
| 3. | National Championship RR - USA | Kristabel Doebel-Hickok | 4 | 50 |
| 4. | National Championship RR - New Zealand | Olivia Ray | 5 | 40 |
| 5. | La Flèche Wallonne | Kristabel Doebel-Hickok | 14 | 32 |
World Tour Classics
| Best Result | |
|---|---|
| La Flèche Wallonne | Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (14th) |
| Liège-Bastogne-Liège | Clara Koppenburg (44th) |
| La Course by Le Tour de France | Clara Koppenburg (25th) |
The team certainly felt the loss of top sprinter Chloe Hosking, who had delivered 75% of Rally's wins in 2020. In 2021, they didn't have much luck, especially when they raced at the World Tour level. Koppenburg had some success at the Vuelta a Burgos but missed out on the GC podium by less than 40
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