There has been a lot in the news recently about NASA’s Perseverance rover and its recent landing on Mars. The early photos have been outstanding. But there has not been much said yet about its big connection to San Diego. Qualcomm collaborated with NASA’s JPL on robotics technology that will be powering an experimental drone that will soon attempt the first powered flight on another planet. Called Ingenuity, it is a technology experiment that came to Mars as a passenger on Perseverance. The “helicopter” weighs about four pounds on earth and has a fuselage about the size of a tissue box, according to NASA. Qualcomm’s robotics solutions helped to overcome space navigation challenges, such as adapting to Mars’ atmospheric conditions.