— NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the primary plane to attain powered flight on one other planet, is now the primary drone to fly on a parade float — within the type of a flower-covered reproduction.
The floral-but-flight-worthy show was simply one of many highlights aboard “Rover Rendezvous,” a float within the Tournament of Roses Parade held in celebration of New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California on Wednesday (Jan. 1). Designed partly to rejoice the achievements of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the float was constructed by the City of La Cañada Flintridge, the place the NASA and Caltech facility is situated.
“This out-of-this-world float invitations viewers on a journey to Mars, that includes an astronaut who groups up with an alien exploration crew for an exciting experience in a modified Mars rover,” learn La Cañada Flintridge’s description of its parade entry. “With all components crafted by devoted volunteers, this float represents the neighborhood’s creativity and fervour for innovation.”
Covered in additional than 35,000 flowers, the 55-foot-long (17-m) float featured an Ingenuity-like rotorcraft at its entrance and a six-wheeled rover made to appear to be it had been constructed utilizing elements from NASA’s two robots energetic on Mars, Curiosity and Perseverance. For instance, the rover on the float is abandoning the identical wheel tracks as Curiosity — imprinting “JPL” in Morse code within the “Martian soil.”
The float was additionally embellished with “floralgraph” mission patches, together with the emblems for NASA’s Viking, Pathfinder and Perseverance (Mars 2020) missions, as rendered utilizing flowers.
The float’s Mars Helicopter took flight on the management of two drone pilots who had been on board (the drone was additionally tethered for security precautions). Earl Cox, chief engineer for communications and system engineering at AeroViornment, helped carry the “ingenious” exhibi to life, simply as the corporate did for the actual Ingenuity.
“It’s simply enjoyable to tug every little thing collectively and one thing we are able to present to everyone, [since] the Mars helicopter is one million miles away,” Cox stated in an interview with the native newspaper, Outlook Valley Sun. “This is a superb alternative to showcase Mars exploration.”
Ingenuity on Mars flew a complete of 72 instances earlier than crashing and struggling harm in January 2024, 22 months after its history-making first flight. While it was energetic, it went from serving as a know-how demonstrator to supporting the science mission of the on-going Perseverance rover by scouting the panorama forward from above.
The inclusion of fantastical alien guests was impressed by this yr’s theme for the parade, “Best Day Ever.” The float continues the story that started on La Cañada’s 2017 entry, which depicted a younger boy constructing a rocket in his yard.
“We thought it might be very intelligent to have our little intrepid astronaut make it to Mars, upon which he sees a rover and meets an alien, and so they have a enjoyable experience,” Ernest Koeppen, president of the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association, advised the Outlook Valley Sun. “Seems to me, that’d be the very best day ever.”
“Rover Rendevous” was additionally the “greenest” float within the parade, swapping out its propane-powered animation engine and hydraulics with a full EV battery managed motor and generator.
One different float appeared towards outer area to signify this yr’s parade theme. “Chasing Our Dreams” from Odd Fellows & Rebekahs, a sororal and repair group, featured an astronaut driving a rocket alongside a rainbow-colored path above Earth, previous Mars and Saturn and in direction of the celebrities. Built by the Phoenix Decorating Company, the float was adorned with 59,600 flowers, together with yellow and white starburst mums.
Previous years’ Tournament of Roses Parades have celebrated area exploration historical past, together with a flower-formed mannequin of area shuttle Endeavour in 2013 and the inclusion of a space-flown rose in 2009. JPL has additionally represented itself in previous Rose Parades, designing floats that depicted its Viking Mars lander in 1976 and the Spitzer Space Telescope with eight different spacecraft to type an enormous Voltron-like robotic in 2005.
