We used attitude data from the Mars Ingenuity helicopter to estimate wind speeds and directions at altitudes between 3 and 24 m, the first time winds at such altitudes have been probed on Mars. We compared our estimates to wind data from the meteorology package MEDA on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and to predictions from meteorological models. Wind directions inferred from Ingenuity data agreed with the directions measured by MEDA, when the latter were available, but deviated from model-predicted directions by as much as 180° in some cases. The inferred wind speeds are often much higher than expected. The work here provides a foundation for exploration of planetary boundary layers using drones and suggests important future avenues for research and development
Research Publications
- Profiling Near-surface Winds on Mars Using Attitude Data from Mars 2020 Ingenuity – https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ad8b41
Press
- “Now That’s Ingenuity: First Aircraft Measurement of Winds on Another Planet” – https://aasnova.org/2025/01/22/now-thats-ingenuity-first-aircraft-measurement-of-winds-on-another-planet/
- “Boise State professor discovers new Mars weather data” – https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/science-research/2025-01-21/boise-state-professor-mars-weather-data
- “Jackson studies Martian winds with NASA rotorcraft data” – https://www.boisestate.edu/news/2024/12/13/jackson-studies-martian-winds-with-nasa-rotorcraft-data/
- “How windy is it on Mars? These Boise State researchers have the answer” – https://idahobusinessreview.com/2024/12/20/how-windy-is-it-on-mars-these-boise-state-researchers-have-the-answer/
