“Maiden Flight on Mars” Seminar from NASA Engineer

Loay Elbasyouni, Lead Electrical Engineer of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, met with ITU students at ITU Ayazağa Campus and gave a seminar on Ingenuity Mars helicopter, the first aircraft flown on an extraterrestrial planet.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) students met with Loay Elbasyouni, Lead Electrical Engineer of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, in an inspiring seminar on space technologies. The seminar in which Elbasyouni shared his experiences at Ayazağa Campus Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center on January 18, 2024, attracted great interest from the students.

The story of the maiden flight on Mars

Loay Elbasyouni made a comprehensive presentation about Ingenuity to the students during the seminar. Pointing out that the development of Ingenuity was “nearly impossible,” Elbasyouni gave information about the challenging engineering problems they encountered during the design. He underlined that weight is a more important parameter than efficiency or power in the design of spacecraft.

Stating that looking at the sky means looking at both the future and the past, that space research eliminates borders and language differences, and that people come together for a common purpose, NASA Engineer Elbasyouni reminded that many technologies we use in daily life are the product of these studies.

At the end of the seminar, Elbasyouni answered the students’ questions and was presented with a gift. Elbasyouni stated that ITU students can always reach him and ask questions through channels such as LinkedIn.

About Loay Elbasyouni

Elbasyouni worked as lead electrical engineer in the design of Ingenuity which made its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021. He currently serves as the design manager of the electrical system of Blue Origin’s rocket engines to power Blue Moon Lander for NASA Artemis Return to Moon Program.