Mavic 2 on the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ???

whats a DM2

fly not so much ,float ,very possible,

Assuming a DM2 is a quadcopter as soon as the props start it would 'lift' with no way to counter the 'climb' so it would hit the 'ceiling'. That's assuming the computers would let it start motors etc. in zero gravity.

• No GNSS (satellite signals).
• No magnetometer (compass).
• No accelerometer to keep it level because no gravity.
• Barometer would work sorta, because the ISS is pressurized. But it would not register increases in altitude because the barometric pressure would not decrease with altitude (as it does on Earth, due to the gravitational field).

I'd be surprised if it would even take off, but if it did it would likely flip upside and basically tumble all over the place. It would not stay level because accelerometer would not be working. At a minimum, wear a helmet when you try this

Accelerometer would still work, as it measures acceleration, or changes in speed. But indeed it would not indicate "level", if that's what is used to determine horizontal.

That's really an interesting experiment though. I'd recommend a Mini.

DanMan32 said:

Accelerometer would still work, as it measures acceleration, or changes in speed. But indeed it would not indicate "level", if that's what is used to determine horizontal.

That's really an interesting experiment though. I'd recommend a Mini.

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Right. But to be thorough, an accelerometer works pretty well for maintaining attitude ON EARTH. Rotation is a problem though, which is why I believe drones use multi-axis MEMS gyroscopes to measure attitude.

Gyro is used to determine 3D orientation relative to initialization and accelerometer is used to determine change in 3D speed. In theory these should be enough to navigate dead-reckoning and pretty much stay in one place. "Vertical" stability could also be maintained but the programming would expect gravity to pull it down when no force is applied to compensate.

The same technology was used to navigate us to the moon, only occasionally having to correct for gyro drift by astronomical sighting. What was really fun is when they accidentally entered the computer command to initialize gyros to launch pad conditions.

DanMan32 said:

Gyro is used to determine 3D orientation relative to initialization and accelerometer is used to determine change in 3D speed. In theory these should be enough to navigate dead-reckoning and pretty much stay in one place. "Vertical" stability could also be maintained but the programming would expect gravity to pull it down when no force is applied to compensate.

The same technology was used to navigate us to the moon, only occasionally having to correct for gyro drift by astronomical sighting. What was really fun is when they accidentally entered the computer command to initialize gyros to launch pad conditions.

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Good post. You're right and I was wrong. The drone would maintain position due to the gyro. But as you stated, the accumulation of error due to finite precision would result in the drone slowly turning in space.

I this thread. Must be tested!

Ok would someone explain to me how the drone would stop it's climb? The props are designed to push air down with gravity providing the down force to counter the thrust. Since this would effectively be zero g the props would have to push air up to halt a climb ie run in reverse or flip the drone. If you flip then how do you stop the flip rotation?

Right. Drone uses barometric pressure to measure height above takeoff height. The barometric pressure would not change, and the drone, in an attempt to rise, would fly into the ceiling or control panel or cupola or whatever is above. The good news is that nothing “falls” in the ISS. Bad news is the broken parts would fly away from the crash site in a straight path per 2nd law of physics.

passedpawn said:

• No GNSS (satellite signals).
• No magnetometer (compass).
• No accelerometer to keep it level because no gravity.
• Barometer would work sorta, because the ISS is pressurized. But it would not register increases in altitude because the barometric pressure would not decrease with altitude (as it does on Earth, due to the gravitational field).

I'd be surprised if it would even take off, but if it did it would likely flip upside and basically tumble all over the place. It would not stay level because accelerometer would not be working. At a minimum, wear a helmet when you try this

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GPS works on the ISS. There are antennas mounted on the outside of the ISS that are wired to two GPS receivers in the US lab. They pick up the same satellites that every other GPS receiver tries to pick up. And the ISS is still with the Earth's magnetosphere, so compasses still work. The field is weaker, but compasses still point North. Also, accelerometers do work in the ISS. The ISS is not a zero-gravity environment, it's a micro-gravity environment.

But the part about the air pressure is correct.

In all likelihood, the drone's IMU would be so confused by the data it collected (I'm where?), it would refuse to fly. If it did attempt to fly, it would end very quickly and very badly.



The SPHERES used on the ISS are the closest thing to a drone on the ISS. They look like giant polyhedral dice, with CO2 jets for proposal. They use a modified (no GMS, alkaline instead of lithium batteries) Samsung NEXUS S phone to provide external sensors (GPS, accelerometer, compass).

Wouldn't work. The ISS is a NFZ

Red or blue? If blue, it can be unlocked.

JMMath said:

Would it fly?

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simple answer no complex answer it will be travelling at 17,227 mph even if it does not move, therefore it will be the fastest moving drone in recorded history AND its range, depending on a 30 minute battery no return to base, is approx 2390miles

ShadowCat said:

simple answer no

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JMMath said:

So........ what I’ve learned from the answers is the Mini2 will Not fly inside the ISS. Motors would spin but nothing would happen.
I think.........?

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you also learnt it moves faster than a supersonic jet!

A Mavic won't fly on the ISS, but you can totally make an appropriately designed quadcopter that would be tailored to the conditions there.