Palestinian engineer Loay Elbasyouni, who was part of the team that designed the mini helicopter called Ingenuity, found in the Persevarence reconnaissance vehicle NASA sent to Mars, said he was proud.
Palestinian engineer Loay Elbasyouni told the success story of the Gaza region, which was turned into an open-air prison in Palestine under the Israeli blockade, to the construction of the Ingenuity helicopter at NASA.
COME TO THE USA TO READ IN 1998
Elbasyouni, who was born and raised in Beit Honoun, Gaza, said that he came to Lousville University in the USA as a student in 1998, sometimes he made his pocket money by distributing pizza after school and completed his higher education in electrical engineering with his own means.
After graduating, Gazan engineer, who made researches on alternative energy, electric vehicles and planes, was assigned to the team that built the helicopter sent to Mars for NASA at the last private company he worked for.
Palestinian Elbasyouni, who designed the Ingenuity helicopter at NASA: I’m honored-Video
“MARS HELICOPTER IS ONLY AN IDEA BEFORE”
Elbasyouni stated that he was selected to the NASA team while specializing and working on super light, electronic power, electric aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Elbasyouni continued as follows:
“The helicopter, which was thought to fly on Mars, was previously ‘Could it? Then we developed a miniature flying device like a toy. I even tried it at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, it was not a good test. But with what we learned from the tests and many mathematical calculations, we arrived at a model that could fly.
Stating that he sometimes doubted whether a device that could fly in the Martian atmosphere would be possible during his studies, Elbousyouni said. “We had to design an engine that could run at very cold temperatures around 1500 grams, its design, construction, integration was really complicated.” he spoke.
BECOME THE CHIEF ENGINEER IN 6 YEARS OF WORK
Stating that the project started in 2014 with different teams in different fields, Elbasyouni said that he worked with other NASA engineers as chief engineer in Ingenuity’s design and construction team for more than 4 years.
“I CANNOT KEEP MY TEARS WHILE WATCHING THE LIVE BROADCAST”
Stating that he was very happy when he first learned that he was included in the helicopter project team to be sent to Mars from NASA, Elbasyouni continued as follows:
“I was very excited when I was accepted into the post. I knew we were going to send something to Mars. The day (Ingenuity) landed safely on Mars, I said okay, I was able to put a piece of hardware on Mars to work there, which was very happy. When he made his first flight, I woke the half of the building in the middle of the night with a scream of joy. I couldn’t hold back my tears while watching NASA’s live stream. “
“I FEELED MY OWN LIKE WRIGHT BROTHERS”
Stating that he felt like the Wright brothers who made the first flight attempt in the USA in the early 1900s, Elbasyouni said. “I was very worried, we took great risks, but now I feel like part of a historical event.” said.
“INGENUITY EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS”
Stating that Ingenuity was successfully flown 4 times, Elbasyouni said. “He sent very impressive photos. It actually exceeded expectations. I am excitedly waiting for him to make his fifth and last flight. ” Diye spoke.
Stating that he will continue his engineering studies in the fields of electric vehicles and aviation, Elbasyouni said that he is interested in new discoveries in the field of electric energy use and that he can establish his own company in the future.
12 YEARS TO GAZA DUE TO ABLUKA
Explaining that he grew up in Gaza, which is under Israeli occupation, as the son of one of Palestine’s prominent surgeons, Elbasyouni, 42, emphasized that the citizens of his country are very diligent people despite the bad conditions.
Elbasyouni, “There were many successful people in my family. Since I was young, I haven’t looked at conditions in a way that prevents me from success. I believed I would be successful. To be honest, I still haven’t achieved my goals. ” used the expressions.
Emphasizing that Gaza was under the siege of Israel, he could not see his family for 12 years and his brothers for 14 years. “It was really hard not to be able to visit Gaza or see the family because the borders were closed. Although we chose to be in Gaza, my family had to settle in Germany from Gaza to be close to us. “ said.
“VISITING GAZA IS ALWAYS A RISK”
Elbasyouni continued his words as follows:
“There is nothing legally preventing me from going to Gaza, but this is a risk. As an engineer, I can estimate a timetable by calculating everything, but if I want to visit Gaza, is there a schedule for it? I cannot answer that. When the borders will open, when will they close, will I be able to go in, how long it will take me to go out if I do, I don’t know any of them. For this, I will have to risk my career, my job. “
Elbasyouni once explained that his family, who went from Germany to Gaza, was stuck in the city for 9 months. “Their visas have expired, they went to the Rafah border gate every day to see if it was opened. It is not that easy, it is difficult to explain.” he spoke.
Elbasyouni underlined that the people of Gaza should never lose hope despite all the difficulties. “I worked on a mission I call the ‘impossible mission’. We made the seemingly impossible possible. I dreamed it came true. They should not give up hope of making their dreams come true, either. “ said.
The reconnaissance vessel Perseverance sent to Mars and its mini helicopter Ingenuity
Built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and powered by plutonium fuel, the Perseverance probe landed on Mars on February 18, about 7 months after launch on July 30, 2020.
Among the vehicles sent to Mars, 2.4 billion dollars were spent for the infrastructure works to realize the new mission of Perseverance, which has the most advanced technological features, and 300 million dollars for the system that made it possible to land and operate the vehicle.
The mini helicopter Ingenuity, sent with Perseverance, made history as “the first aircraft to be flown on another planet” with its first successful flight of about 1 minute on April 19th.
Ingenuity, which carried out 4 flights and weighed approximately 1.5 kilograms, stayed in the air for about 2 minutes at an altitude of 5 to 6 meters from Perseverance on each flight and sent the images taken with the color camera on it to the world.
Because the density of the atmosphere on Mars is about 1 percent that of Earth, NASA engineers used ultra-light materials to lift the Ingenuity off the ground, and 4 propellers, each 123 centimeters long, spinning faster than required on Earth.
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