January 1, 2025 — NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the primary airplane to reach powered flight on some other planet, is now the primary drone to fly on a parade waft — within the type of a flower-covered reproduction.The floral-but-flight-worthy show was once simply probably the most highlights aboard “Rover Rendezvous,” a waft within the Match of Roses Parade held in party of New 12 months’s Day in Pasadena, California on Wednesday (Jan. 1). Designed partly to rejoice the achievements of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the waft was once constructed by way of the Town of L. a. Cañada Flintridge, the place the NASA and Caltech facility is situated.”This out-of-this-world waft invitations audience on a adventure to Mars, that includes an astronaut who groups up with an alien exploration staff for an exhilarating experience in a changed Mars rover,” learn L. a. Cañada Flintridge’s description of its parade access. “With all components crafted by way of devoted volunteers, this waft represents the group’s creativity and fervour for innovation.”Lined in additional than 35,000 plant life, the 55-foot-long (17-m) waft featured an Ingenuity-like rotorcraft at its entrance and a six-wheeled rover made to appear love it were constructed the use of elements from NASA’s two robots lively on Mars, Interest and Perseverance. For instance, the rover at the waft is leaving in the back of the similar wheel tracks as Interest — imprinting “JPL” in Morse code within the “Martian soil.”The waft was once additionally embellished with “floralgraph” challenge patches, together with the trademarks for NASA’s Viking, Pathfinder and Perseverance (Mars 2020) missions, as rendered the use of plant life.The waft’s Mars Helicopter took flight on the regulate of 2 drone pilots who have been on board (the drone was once additionally tethered for protection precautions). Earl Cox, leader engineer for communications and machine engineering at AeroViornment, helped deliver the “inventive” exhibi to existence, simply as the corporate did for the true Ingenuity.”It is simply amusing to tug the whole lot in combination and one thing we will display to everyone, [since] the Mars helicopter is 1,000,000 miles away,” Cox stated in an interview with the native newspaper, Outlook Valley Solar. “It is a nice alternative to exhibit Mars exploration.”Ingenuity on Mars flew a complete of 72 instances sooner than crashing and struggling injury in January 2024, 22 months after its history-making first flight. Whilst it was once lively, it went from serving as a era demonstrator to supporting the science challenge of the on-going Perseverance rover by way of scouting the panorama forward from above.The inclusion of fantastical alien guests was once impressed by way of this yr’s theme for the parade, “Best possible Day Ever.” The waft continues the tale that started on L. a. Cañada’s 2017 access, which depicted a tender boy development a rocket in his yard.”We idea it might be very suave to have our little intrepid astronaut make it to Mars, upon which he sees a rover and meets an alien, and they have got a amusing experience,” Ernest Koeppen, president of the L. a. Cañada Flintridge Match of Roses Affiliation, advised the Outlook Valley Solar. “Turns out to me, that’d be the most productive day ever.””Rover Rendevous” was once additionally the “greenest” waft within the parade, swapping out its propane-powered animation engine and hydraulics with a complete EV battery managed motor and generator.One different waft seemed towards outer area to constitute this yr’s parade theme. “Chasing Our Desires” from Atypical Fellows & Rebekahs, a sororal and repair group, featured an astronaut using a rocket alongside a rainbow-colored trail above Earth, previous Mars and Saturn and against the celebs. Constructed by way of the Phoenix Adorning Corporate, the waft was once embellished with 59,600 plant life, together with yellow and white starburst mums.Earlier years’ Match of Roses Parades have celebrated area exploration historical past, together with a flower-formed fashion of area commute 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 Area Telescope with 8 different spacecraft to shape an enormous Voltron-like robotic in 2005.
