Help with drones on another planet

[mgviterbo]

Hi,

My name is Viterbo, and I’m a science fiction writer. I was wondering if I could run some ideas through members of this forum. I have a scene that relates to drones on another planet.

I’m working on a story set on a Mars analog planet. For the issue I’ll discuss, the most important thing about it is that the atmosphere is very thin.

There is a ship orbiting the planet, looking for a suitable place to land and start a colony. Due to fuel limitations, they have about ten days to do so (choose a place to land). Through satellite imagery, they had located a series of lava tubes that would be ideal candidates for a base. On then they found a skylight. It would be ideal if they could fly a “drone-like” device through it to explore the lava tubes/caves, and take measurements. They can send ONE (fairly large) probe. It would contain a few instruments to make measurements, take samples, etc. This probe can already carry a “big-drone” that can move some of the instruments around but is too big to enter the skylight. They need a “small-drone”.

The scene I need help with involves three characters.

• The ship’s pilot, who is expected to fly the small drone. He can fly the big drone with no problems.
• The technician/electronics expert that was given two days to build the small drone from semi-scratch. Young guy, printed scaled-down parts from the large drone, adapted some electronics motors, etc, and managed to put it together in a hurry.
• The technician’s apprentice, a 18-year-old girl. This is my protagonist.

Here is my problem. I need to provide a believable set of circumstances for the pilot NOT to fly the small drone. I want the circumstances/skills/whatever to corner the grownups into letting the girl use the small drone and save the day. This is an evacuation ship from a bigger one. It’s carrying mostly kids and a “bare bones” crew. This is an important moment for her. She is the older of the kids, turned 18 during the flight to the planet and this is her first real “adult” moment.

I’ve thought about this scenario: The technician was given two days to build the thing. He did so in a hurry with some help from the girl. They’ve been doing flight tests onboard (in a low-pressure chamber in a lab to simulate conditions the best they can but the test is not perfect since there is no gravity at the moment in the ship).

The test flights are a disaster. The pilot and the technician can’t do anything with it. Very unstable and they crash all the time, having to print new replacement parts. The only one that was able to fly the thing was the girl, once. Call it a soft touch, natural talent, etc. I’ve blamed this on poorly calibrated “stabilization” software. (The software is calibrated for the big drones and not the small drone he created… maybe?) The pilot and technician want to use the stabilization software because there are “adjustments during flight that are too difficult to do by a human.” The girl thinks the software makes it more difficult to fly. She is a natural (?)

Technology for this universe is similar to ours, maybe a bit more advanced. There is no faster-than-light travel, infinite sources of energy/resources, etc. No magic. The technology of these drones would be similar to the drone/helicopter that NASA flew on Mars in 2020 (ingenuity). The one in NASA was completely autonomous.

Did any of these ideas/scenarios sound blatantly NOT plausible in your experience?

Any ideas about what unstable behavior with very thin air may feel like in a drone?

Any suggestions/ideas related to drones that would make the pilot NOT fly the small drone but have no problems flying the bigger one? I would imagine the drones to be similar, just different in size. Would this, by itself, create a problem I’m not seeing? (but maybe obvious to you)

Thanks

V.
mgviterbo.com

 

[Cafguy]

Any suggestions/ideas related to drones that would make the pilot NOT fly the small drone but have no problems flying the bigger one?

Wind?

The pilot and the technician can’t do anything with it. Very unstable and they crash all the time, having to print new replacement parts. The only one that was able to fly the thing was the girl, once. Call it a soft touch, natural talent, etc. I’ve blamed this on poorly calibrated “stabilization” software. (The software is calibrated for the big drones and not the small drone he created… maybe?) The pilot and technician want to use the stabilization software because there are “adjustments during flight that are too difficult to do by a human.” The girl thinks the software makes it more difficult to fly. She is a natural (?)

So these techs have a drone that they have programmed with the incorrect P.I.D. and the girl can control this drone because she has a feel for the drones position and orientation in the air? Perhaps she can do algorithims instantly in her head and program the correct pid numbers instantly to the drones firmware? maybe as the enviroment changes?
Its a cold sat in Bakersfield so I will give it more thought..
Wait ! maybe so maybe something is causing the need for all these changes perhaps some sort of deviation of the Higgs field causing constant changes in the drones Mass?

 

[old man mavic]

Its a shame that the crew ,didnt think to take a DJI Air 3 with them ,it sounds perfect for the job ,right size good flight duration, and a whole host of automonous flight modes

 

[BongoBongo]

.
1) If she's 18, she's a woman.

2) Maybe she's Luke Skywalker's sister and tuned into The Force ?

3) Or Just naturally psychic due to a previous encounter with a mysterious radioactive magnetic gas cloud en-route to present location ?

4) Wow man, I'm good - maybe I should write a book . . . . . .
_

 

[DougMcC]

No gps present for stable flight I would assume. What is the ambient temperature in flying environment? Too hot vs too cold?

 

[Lets Fly]

No gps present for stable flight I would assume. What is the ambient temperature in flying environment? Too hot vs too cold?

Yes, she is just better at atti mode, and no mention of the RPMs required for a large drone. Just check with NASA, their drone is working.

 

[Dale D]

Hi,

My name is Viterbo, and I’m a science fiction writer. I was wondering if I could run some ideas through members of this forum. I have a scene that relates to drones on another planet.

I’m working on a story set on a Mars analog planet. For the issue I’ll discuss, the most important thing about it is that the atmosphere is very thin.

There is a ship orbiting the planet, looking for a suitable place to land and start a colony. Due to fuel limitations, they have about ten days to do so (choose a place to land). Through satellite imagery, they had located a series of lava tubes that would be ideal candidates for a base. On then they found a skylight. It would be ideal if they could fly a “drone-like” device through it to explore the lava tubes/caves, and take measurements. They can send ONE (fairly large) probe. It would contain a few instruments to make measurements, take samples, etc. This probe can already carry a “big-drone” that can move some of the instruments around but is too big to enter the skylight. They need a “small-drone”.

The scene I need help with involves three characters.

• The ship’s pilot, who is expected to fly the small drone. He can fly the big drone with no problems.
• The technician/electronics expert that was given two days to build the small drone from semi-scratch. Young guy, printed scaled-down parts from the large drone, adapted some electronics motors, etc, and managed to put it together in a hurry.
• The technician’s apprentice, a 18-year-old girl. This is my protagonist.

Here is my problem. I need to provide a believable set of circumstances for the pilot NOT to fly the small drone. I want the circumstances/skills/whatever to corner the grownups into letting the girl use the small drone and save the day. This is an evacuation ship from a bigger one. It’s carrying mostly kids and a “bare bones” crew. This is an important moment for her. She is the older of the kids, turned 18 during the flight to the planet and this is her first real “adult” moment.

I’ve thought about this scenario: The technician was given two days to build the thing. He did so in a hurry with some help from the girl. They’ve been doing flight tests onboard (in a low-pressure chamber in a lab to simulate conditions the best they can but the test is not perfect since there is no gravity at the moment in the ship).

The test flights are a disaster. The pilot and the technician can’t do anything with it. Very unstable and they crash all the time, having to print new replacement parts. The only one that was able to fly the thing was the girl, once. Call it a soft touch, natural talent, etc. I’ve blamed this on poorly calibrated “stabilization” software. (The software is calibrated for the big drones and not the small drone he created… maybe?) The pilot and technician want to use the stabilization software because there are “adjustments during flight that are too difficult to do by a human.” The girl thinks the software makes it more difficult to fly. She is a natural (?)

Technology for this universe is similar to ours, maybe a bit more advanced. There is no faster-than-light travel, infinite sources of energy/resources, etc. No magic. The technology of these drones would be similar to the drone/helicopter that NASA flew on Mars in 2020 (ingenuity). The one in NASA was completely autonomous.

Did any of these ideas/scenarios sound blatantly NOT plausible in your experience?

Any ideas about what unstable behavior with very thin air may feel like in a drone?

Any suggestions/ideas related to drones that would make the pilot NOT fly the small drone but have no problems flying the bigger one? I would imagine the drones to be similar, just different in size. Would this, by itself, create a problem I’m not seeing? (but maybe obvious to you)

Thanks

V.
mgviterbo.com

Since you are the author, you have license to construct any situation and disregard actual laws of physics such as temperatures, winds, GPS, sparse or no air, etc.

Dale
Miami

 

[ImpossibleTom]

Younger, quicker reactions to changes from the environment. Have to dump the auto stabilization software due to the size / weight differences.

 

[123taff]

Its a shame that the crew ,didnt think to take a DJI Air 3 with them ,it sounds perfect for the job ,right size good flight duration, and a whole host of automonous flight modes

Apart from the fact that there are no GPS satellites circling Mars!

 

[marcopollo]

Hi,

My name is Viterbo, and I’m a science fiction writer. I was wondering if I could run some ideas through members of this forum. I have a scene that relates to drones on another planet.

I’m working on a story set on a Mars analog planet. For the issue I’ll discuss, the most important thing about it is that the atmosphere is very thin.

There is a ship orbiting the planet, looking for a suitable place to land and start a colony. Due to fuel limitations, they have about ten days to do so (choose a place to land). Through satellite imagery, they had located a series of lava tubes that would be ideal candidates for a base. On then they found a skylight. It would be ideal if they could fly a “drone-like” device through it to explore the lava tubes/caves, and take measurements. They can send ONE (fairly large) probe. It would contain a few instruments to make measurements, take samples, etc. This probe can already carry a “big-drone” that can move some of the instruments around but is too big to enter the skylight. They need a “small-drone”.

The scene I need help with involves three characters.

• The ship’s pilot, who is expected to fly the small drone. He can fly the big drone with no problems.
• The technician/electronics expert that was given two days to build the small drone from semi-scratch. Young guy, printed scaled-down parts from the large drone, adapted some electronics motors, etc, and managed to put it together in a hurry.
• The technician’s apprentice, a 18-year-old girl. This is my protagonist.

Here is my problem. I need to provide a believable set of circumstances for the pilot NOT to fly the small drone. I want the circumstances/skills/whatever to corner the grownups into letting the girl use the small drone and save the day. This is an evacuation ship from a bigger one. It’s carrying mostly kids and a “bare bones” crew. This is an important moment for her. She is the older of the kids, turned 18 during the flight to the planet and this is her first real “adult” moment.

I’ve thought about this scenario: The technician was given two days to build the thing. He did so in a hurry with some help from the girl. They’ve been doing flight tests onboard (in a low-pressure chamber in a lab to simulate conditions the best they can but the test is not perfect since there is no gravity at the moment in the ship).

The test flights are a disaster. The pilot and the technician can’t do anything with it. Very unstable and they crash all the time, having to print new replacement parts. The only one that was able to fly the thing was the girl, once. Call it a soft touch, natural talent, etc. I’ve blamed this on poorly calibrated “stabilization” software. (The software is calibrated for the big drones and not the small drone he created… maybe?) The pilot and technician want to use the stabilization software because there are “adjustments during flight that are too difficult to do by a human.” The girl thinks the software makes it more difficult to fly. She is a natural (?)

Technology for this universe is similar to ours, maybe a bit more advanced. There is no faster-than-light travel, infinite sources of energy/resources, etc. No magic. The technology of these drones would be similar to the drone/helicopter that NASA flew on Mars in 2020 (ingenuity). The one in NASA was completely autonomous.

Did any of these ideas/scenarios sound blatantly NOT plausible in your experience?

Any ideas about what unstable behavior with very thin air may feel like in a drone?

Any suggestions/ideas related to drones that would make the pilot NOT fly the small drone but have no problems flying the bigger one? I would imagine the drones to be similar, just different in size. Would this, by itself, create a problem I’m not seeing? (but maybe obvious to you)

Thanks

V.
mgviterbo.com

Maybe a scenario where the pilot would have to still be flying the big drone while the smaller one was to be flown, leaving them in need of another pilot.

 

[Moozer]

How about needing the larger drone to relay the data to/from the smaller one?

 

[AMann]

The drone has AI and it likes the girl, the guy has been a jerk to it and it is afraid of him crashing and killing it.

Realistically, it won’t be long before drones do have AI , and autonomous machines are really the only way to succeed on Mars.

 

[passedpawn]

Since you are the author, you have license to construct any situation and disregard actual laws of physics such as temperatures, winds, GPS, sparse or no air, etc.

Dale
Miami

After the first season of the original Star Trek series, the creator Gene Rodenberry had a problem. The knurds that watched the show rightly observed that the crew could not reduce the speed of the Enterprise from warp speed (i.e., > speed of light) to stopped in short time or the entire crew would have been smashed into jelly onto the walls due to the incredible rate of deceleration.

He invented the inertial damper. Waved his hand, coined that term, and the problem went away. I don't know how many further star trek series have spun off the original, but the knurds seemed to have accepted the inertial damper.

So yes Dale. Literary license to invent is alive and well in the scifi world.