NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the primary plane to succeed in powered flight on every other planet, is now the primary drone to fly on a parade glide — within the type of a flower-covered reproduction.The floral-but-flight-worthy show used to be simply some of the highlights aboard “Rover Rendezvous,” a glide within the Match of Roses Parade held in birthday party of New 12 months’s Day in Pasadena, California on Wednesday (Jan. 1). Designed partly to have fun the achievements of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the glide used to be constructed via the Town of Los angeles Cañada Flintridge, the place the NASA and Caltech facility is positioned.”This out-of-this-world glide invitations audience on a adventure to Mars, that includes an astronaut who groups up with an alien exploration team for an exhilarating experience in a changed Mars rover,” learn Los angeles Cañada Flintridge’s description of its parade access. “With all components crafted via devoted volunteers, this glide represents the neighborhood’s creativity and keenness for innovation.”
The astronaut and circle of relatives of visiting extraterrestrial beings are having the “Best possible Day Ever,” according to the theme of the 2025 Rose Parade. (Symbol credit score: Los angeles Cañada Flintridge Match of Roses Affiliation)Coated in additional than 35,000 plant life, the 55-foot-long (17-m) glide featured an Ingenuity-like rotorcraft at its entrance and a six-wheeled rover made to seem love it have been constructed the usage of parts from NASA’s two robots lively on Mars, Interest and Perseverance. As an example, the rover at the glide is leaving at the back of the similar wheel tracks as Interest — imprinting “JPL” in Morse code within the “Martian soil.”The glide used to be additionally adorned with “floralgraph” project patches, together with the trademarks for NASA’s Viking, Pathfinder and Perseverance (Mars 2020) missions, as rendered the usage of plant life.The glide’s Mars Helicopter took flight on the regulate of 2 drone pilots who have been on board (the drone used to be additionally tethered for protection precautions). Earl Cox, leader engineer for communications and device engineering at AeroViornment, helped deliver the “inventive” exhibi to existence, simply as the corporate did for the actual Ingenuity.”It is simply amusing to drag the entirety in combination and one thing we will display to everyone, [since] the Mars helicopter is one million miles away,” Cox stated in an interview with the native newspaper, Outlook Valley Solar. “It is a nice alternative to exhibit Mars exploration.”
Los angeles Cañada Flintridge, house to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, selected to have fun Mars exploration with its 2025 glide. (Symbol credit score: Los angeles Cañada Flintridge Match of Roses Affiliation)Ingenuity on Mars flew a complete of 72 instances sooner than crashing and struggling harm in January 2024, 22 months after its history-making first flight. Whilst it used to be lively, it went from serving as a generation demonstrator to supporting the science project of the on-going Perseverance rover via scouting the panorama forward from above.The inclusion of fantastical alien guests used to be impressed via this 12 months’s theme for the parade, “Best possible Day Ever.” The glide continues the tale that started on Los angeles Cañada’s 2017 access, which depicted a tender boy construction a rocket in his yard.”We idea it would be very artful to have our little intrepid astronaut make it to Mars, upon which he sees a rover and meets an alien, and they’ve a amusing experience,” Ernest Koeppen, president of the Los angeles Cañada Flintridge Match of Roses Affiliation, advised the Outlook Valley Solar. “Turns out to me, that’d be the most efficient day ever.””Rover Rendevous” used to be additionally the “greenest” glide within the parade, swapping out its propane-powered animation engine and hydraulics with a complete EV battery managed motor and generator.
The 55-foot-long (17-meter) “Rover Rendezvous” glide is roofed in additional than 35,000 plant life, options the primary flying drone and is the one EV access within the 2025 Match of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. (Symbol credit score: Los angeles Cañada Flintridge Match of Roses Affiliation)One different glide regarded towards outer area to constitute this 12 months’s parade theme. “Chasing Our Goals” from Bizarre 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 celebrities. Constructed via the Phoenix Adorning Corporate, the glide used to be decorated 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 a large Voltron-like robotic in 2005.Observe collectSPACE.com on Fb and on X at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2025 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.Breaking area information, the most recent updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!
