I can only begin to imagine the work and engineering that went into building the helicopter drone they are about to fly on Mars and although we have many problems to solve here, on the only planet we are likley to inhabit for a long while or even ever, I believe the money is well spent for reasons most on this forum would not doubt.
However, I read something that stuck in my craw today about one of the little " easter eggs" they packed away on the the little Mars ship. A postage stamp sized piece of original fabric from the Wright flier is abord the rotorcraft. I do appreciate the sentiment and the fact that they made the gesture, even as wrong headed as I find it. Many of you have seen the quote below so forgive me for that. The Wrights brothers were not fans of the helicopter ever being practical beyond the childs toy that consists of a one piece set of blades glued to a stick that gets spun up between your palms and makes short hops across the room, until Mom points out that " you're gonna put someone's eye out with that thing, take it outside!". One of those things was apparently early inspiration for them to start the whole thing about flying around, so there is a connection to helicopters albeit a weak one. "
Like all novices we began with the helicopter in childhood, but soon saw that the helicopter had no future, and dropped it. The helicopter does with great labor only what the balloon does without labor, and is no more fitted than the balloon for rapid horizontal flight. If its engine stops, it must fall with deathly violence, for it can neither glide like the aeroplane or float like the balloon. The helicopter is much easier to design than the aeroplane, but is worthless when done.
Wilbur Wright, letter written in 1907. Quoted in the 1954 book
."
Clearly they were not future casters in the vein of Leonardo, Jules Vern, or hey.....how about Sikorsky or
Juan de la Cierva. Maybe there are no people at JPL who know who Arthur Young, Frank Piasecki, or Stanley Hiller are. How cool would it have been to put a piece of the fabric from the VS 300 on the Mars helicopter?
I know this is a bit like the folks who go to movies ( remember doing that?)and point out all the errors in something because they happen to know more than your average Joe about it. It's a small thing but generating lift with a rotary wing is a lot different from a fixed wing. Sikorsky designed both types with admirable results, The Wrights scoffed at one and barely flew the other before many others joined them. They were brilliant about some thngs and it paid off when they were persistant but how about credit where it is due?
Hmmmmm. I'm adding an after thought here. Perhaps it is splendid irony that the fabric patch was placed on board. A slight poke in the eye to Wilbur for his disregard of the helicopter.