Difference between revisions of "2444: Ingenuity"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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(Transcript)
(Transcript)
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{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
{{comic discussion}}
 
 
:[On the surface of Mars:]
 
:[On the surface of Mars:]
 
:Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): Ingenuity helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.
 
:Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): Ingenuity helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.

Revision as of 21:49, 31 March 2021

Ingenuity
Plot twist: Thanks to [mumble mumble] second-order [mumble] Rayleigh-Taylor [mumble] turbulent [mumble] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars!
Title text: Plot twist: Thanks to [mumble mumble] second-order [mumble] Rayleigh-Taylor [mumble] turbulent [mumble] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars!

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a Martian helicopter. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.
Ingenuity is a drone-like helicopter deployed to the surface of Mars. It rode on the underside of the Perseverance rover. After the rover released it and cleared its takeoff trajectory, the helicopter was then supposed to take off. The comic projects what might happen if the mission controllers activated the helicopter early and the entire rover took off from the surface.

In the comic, Ponytail and Cueball are standing at mission control, when Cueball slips and hits the button. The Ingenuity drone then takes of, lifting Perserverance with it, and the rover says "Wheee!" Presumably from exitement or happiness.

In the title text, some character discovers powered flight is easier on Mars, which contradicts our current understanding that powered flight is very difficult on Mars. Mars may have less gravity, but Mars' atmosphere is 1% the density of earth. It's so thin that you couldn't move a feather with a fan. This is why the character mumbles his explanation of the science, because they know any explanation doesn't actually make sense.

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.
[On the surface of Mars:]
Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): Ingenuity helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.
[In Mission Control on Earth:]
Cueball trips, saying "Oops", and clicks on a key on his workstation.
[On Mars:]
Ingenuity (below Perseverance, its rotor blades spinning): Bzzzzzz
Perseverance (as it's being lifted into the air by Ingenuity): Wheeee!