From Model Planes to Mars

Robert “Red” Jensen uses math, science, and electronic engineering every day. But when he’s looking for students to join NASA's Subscale Flight Research Lab, he doesn't look at their grades first. Instead, he checks if potential interns are into model airplanes.

“There’s not a course that prepares you for the types of things we do,” says Jensen. He’s the operations engineer and chief pilot for NASA's unmanned subscale aircraft systems in Edwards, California. “I was one of those kids who hated math until I had something to apply it to—and for me that was airplanes.”

Robert “Red” Jensen uses math, science, and electronic engineering every day. When he’s looking for students to join his lab, he doesn't look at their grades. Instead, he checks if they like model airplanes.

“There’s not a course that prepares you for the types of things we do,” says Jensen. He’s an engineer and chief pilot for NASA's Subscale Flight Research Lab in Edwards, California. At his lab, they test small models of every NASA plane and rocket design. “I was one of those kids who hated math until I had something to apply it to. For me that was airplanes.”

Every day is different at Jensen’s lab. Researchers from across NASA come to him with ideas of cutting-edge rockets and aircrafts they hope to send into space one day. Jensen’s team then builds the small-scale prototypes, outfits them with testing equipment, and flies them—and occasionally crashes them.

Sometimes the same models are used for different projects. Prandtl, for example, is a series of aircrafts shaped like boomerangs. They’re named after German engineer Ludwig Prandtl, whose research laid the foundation for aerodynamics. All Prandtl planes use the same basic theory of wing design, but Jensen makes models for different variations and uses.

Every day is different at Jensen’s lab. Researchers from across NASA come to him with their ideas to test. Jensen’s team then builds the small-scale prototypes. Each prototype has testing equipment onboard. He then flies the prototype to see how it handles. Occasionally, he even crashes them!

Sometimes the same models are used for different projects. The Prandtl series is one example. It’s a series of planes shaped like boomerangs. They’re named after German engineer Ludwig Prandtl. His research laid the foundation for aerodynamics. (Aerodynamics is the way air moves around things.) All Prandtl planes use the same basic wing shape. Jensen’s team makes models for different variations and uses. 

One Prandtl is being tested to be the first aircraft sent to Mars. It may go on the next Mars rover mission to map the landing site. It needs to be able to fly in the thin Martian air, the equivalent of flying at an altitude of 100,000 feet on Earth. It also can’t rely on GPS or even a compass—because Mars doesn't have a magnetic field or GPS satellites! Instead it will have stereo vision cameras, “much like your eyeballs,” says Jensen. Someday soon you may ride in another Prandtl design on a cross-country flight.   

One Prandtl is being tested to be the first aircraft to fly on Mars. It may go on the next Mars mission to map the landing site. The plane needs to be able to fly in the thin Martian air. The air there is so thin, it’s like flying at an altitude of 100,000 feet on Earth. The plane also can’t use GPS or a compass. These tools won’t work there. That’s because Mars doesn't have a magnetic field to move the compass. It also doesn’t have GPS satellites to send signals to the plane. Instead the plane will have stereo-vision cameras, “much like your eyeballs,” says Jensen. Someday soon you may ride in another Prandtl design on a cross-country flight.  

No matter the project, all of Jensen’s models are equipped with some sort of autopilot system and a computer to collect data. The lab itself has only a few people, and students are involved with most of the projects—sometimes even high school students from across the U.S. 

For everyone working at the lab, it means thinking outside the box—and outside the planet—on a daily basis. “Everything we do is invented,” says Jensen. “It’s up to us to figure out how to make it work.”

All of Jensen’s models are equipped with an autopilot system so each plane can fly itself. There’s also a computer on board to collect data. The lab itself has only a few people. Students are involved with most of the projects. Sometimes even high school students from across the U.S. join the lab over the summer. 

Everyone at the lab thinks outside the box—and even outside the planet—every day. “Everything we do is invented,” says Jensen. “It’s up to us to figure out how to make it work.”