Technology
Space /
Brazil
Fly over Mars
Technology allows helicopter to explore the red planet
Ingenuity
Domínio Público
Rafael Ramos
4/16/2021
Indian engineer Venkata Rajasekhara Gosula, 56, who has lived in Bahia since the age of six, created a drone technology capable of flying over the red planet. The drone's chip was created under the leadership of the electrical engineer better known as Raja Gosula.
The purpose of the flight of the Ingenuity helicopter, of only 1.8 kg and 1.2 m, is, through its drone, to capture images of the planet and to train the flyover in adverse conditions. The flight will be the first of a motorized aircraft over the planet.
The drone has a chip, with a digital part of power management. The chip was developed by Raja's team about 6 years ago. The idea was to use the chip in cell phones. The chip came to be used in cell phones, however, when Qualcomm entered the drone market, the chip started to be used in the equipment's robotics kit.
Helicóptero Ingenuity
Aeronave não tripulada para explorar Marte
Domínio Público
According to Raja: “After I left Qualcomm, I didn't know about this connection between the PM8941 (the chip) and Ingenuity. I had no idea. Then I started receiving messages from former colleagues still at Qualcomm about our chip being on Mars. [...] I always feel lucky when the projects I work on end in products sold by the millions around the world. Knowing that the circuits I designed are working under the hood everywhere is the pride of engineering. But knowing that they are working on Mars is out of this world! ”, He adds.
Currently, Raja works at Cisco Systems in San Diego, California, developing digital circuits for signal processing of silicon photonic products, used in fiber optic communications networks. He lived in Bahia since he was a little boy, where he studied Electrical Engineering. His undergraduate and graduate studies were completed in the United States.
NASA revealed that a piece of fabric from the Wright brothers' aircraft, which flew over 100 years ago in North Carolina (USA), was placed in Ingenuity as a tribute.
In addition to this flight on Mars, NASA works to send, still in 2026, a drone to the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, where it will arrive in 2034.
According to NASA, other flights to planets other than ours have already been made, but with non-motorized aircraft, such as weather balloons.
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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