For me, being listed as a contributor to Ingenuity is one of the highlights of my career in software development. I mean, I just fixed a bug in some python library, but that was enough to get the GitHub Ingenuity badge. And when ever I am asked for a fun fact about myself, I can answer: some of my code is flying on Mars :)
NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
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Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
now if we just teach those tools to kids instead of turning them into spreadsheet office robots, that would be great.
I imagine NASA is built and operated on a foundation of thousands of spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are the best thing in computing since a Lisp REPL. Half of the startups today would be much better (in terms of utility, simplicity and ergonomics) for users and customers if they were served in form of a downloadable Excel sheet.
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#83For me, being listed as a contributor to Ingenuity is one of the highlights of my career in software development. I mean, I just fixed a bug in some python library, but that was enough to get the GitHub Ingenuity badge. And when ever I am asked for a fun fact about myself, I can answer: some of my code is flying on Mars :)
Ingenuity is running Python?
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#84For me, being listed as a contributor to Ingenuity is one of the highlights of my career in software development. I mean, I just fixed a bug in some python library, but that was enough to get the GitHub Ingenuity badge. And when ever I am asked for a fun fact about myself, I can answer: some of my code is flying on Mars :)
Ingenuity is running Python?
The vehicle itself is mostly C++ but there's lots of python in the ground station and data processing
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#85We will use more helicopters instead of rovers for new missions ? Or larger crafts would be much harder or riskier to use ? Or maybe have a helicopter that can move the rover with the equipment to different locations.
Surfacing a comment: Here's a paper that describes what the next gen could/should be. The lead author is the head of Mars heli, IIRC. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9843501 In short, future designs target ~30kg heli, 5kg payloads. Other designs by collaborators are closer to 20kg. It's probably possible to transport a few of these on the existing lander technology, which would be awesome. The scholar.g…
> Other designs by collaborators are closer to 20kg. It's probably possible to transport a few of these on the existing lander technology, which would be awesome.
Actually it could be like 50 of them. Plus some ground robots to put together solar farm. And wooh... we get the first extra terrestrial permanent base
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, it did. I like the sentiment but I wonder how much conflict of interest would undermine this idea. Imagine how many companies are involved in developing space grade one-off hardware! Also, why would a highly bureaucratic structure undercut the amount of money that they themselves are asking for (and receiving) out of a budget? Savings are not aligned with the interest of such structure. Its not that for the amou…
Every bit of money and platform resources (rad hardened CPUs are giant, slow and power inefficient compared to even semi modern COTS) is money and resources that NASA can spend on scientific payload on the same platform. NASA absolutely does have some incentive to find savings in control hardware and software. Finally, while Ingenuity does use a non-hardened Snapdragon, many other of its critical electronics componen…
This is a great and informative comment!
HN is dominantly a web/SW crowd plus some mobile frontend, and "it uses a Snapdragon" gives many a wrong idea. In embedded device projects a lot of time is spent planning and designing around a heavy compute element running Linux like this, especially if the device has a safety concept or other mixed criticality concerns. It will have a substantial moat around it.
On HN if you say "systems architecture" most folks go "Oh you mean like, whether we use microservices?". In embedded, while there is a lot of overlap and analogues, it's also all of the above, plus power state management and other aspects. It's not very shiny, but that profession makes all your cars, airplanes and alien planet multicopters.
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#87For me, being listed as a contributor to Ingenuity is one of the highlights of my career in software development. I mean, I just fixed a bug in some python library, but that was enough to get the GitHub Ingenuity badge. And when ever I am asked for a fun fact about myself, I can answer: some of my code is flying on Mars :)
Ingenuity is running Python?
We did recently (2 months ago...?) add a couple of Python scripts to the heli for the first time.
Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#88Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
The original Elon Musk biography describes how a legacy aerospace engineer joined spacex and was tasked with a part: > He got a quote back for $120,000. “Elon laughed,” Davis said. “He said, 'That part is no more complicated than a garage door opener. Your budget is five thousand dollars. Go make it work.’”
This is a terrifying anecdote.
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Re: NASA regains contact with mini-helicopter on Mars
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
Every bit of money and platform resources (rad hardened CPUs are giant, slow and power inefficient compared to even semi modern COTS) is money and resources that NASA can spend on scientific payload on the same platform. NASA absolutely does have some incentive to find savings in control hardware and software. Finally, while Ingenuity does use a non-hardened Snapdragon, many other of its critical electronics componen…
This is a great and informative comment! HN is dominantly a web/SW crowd plus some mobile frontend, and "it uses a Snapdragon" gives many a wrong idea. In embedded device projects a lot of time is spent planning and designing around a heavy compute element running Linux like this, especially if the device has a safety concept or other mixed criticality concerns. It will have a substantial moat around it. On HN if you…
"It's not very shiny, but that profession makes all your cars, airplanes and alien planet multicopters."
If you have a good head for it, it's a pretty darn good career. You might not make $500k/year like you would at google, but the money is still decent and reliable.
Plus, working on spacecraft is cool as hell.