Keynote Speakers

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was the first aircraft to operate from the surface of another planet, exploring the Jezero Crater on Mars over the course of nearly three years from 2021-2024. In this talk I will discuss how Ingenuity came to be and the many challenges of developing an aircraft unlike any other from scratch, with a particular focus on navigation and related sensing. Ingenuity’s mission on Mars was to consist of up to 5 demonstration flights over benign, pre-scouted terrain, but was unexpectedly extended after the first few flights. I will discuss how the Ingenuity operations team was able to turn Ingenuity into a long-range explorer without advance preparation, focusing in particular on navigation challenges.