Computerworld

Ahmad Awais is a Pakistani engineer who was involved in NASA’s first Mars helicopter flight.

Ahmad Awais is a Pakistani engineer who was involved in NASA’s first Mars helicopter flight.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Ahmad Awais, a Pakistani engineer, has won world acclaim for his contributions to humanity’s first-ever effort at controlled flight on the surface of another planet, Mars.


Last month, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter achieved the first powered, controlled flight on another planet in history. After receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, the agency’s Ingenuity team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the mission was successful.


The US Embassy in Islamabad has recognised Awais, who had previously been ignored by government officials.

“Pakistani coders are building a name for themselves around the world. #DidYouKnow that Ahmad Awais (@MrAhmadAwais), a Pakistani award-winning open-source developer, donated code to the software for NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter, the Mars 2020 helicopter mission? The embassy sent out a tweet.


Meanwhile, Ahmad Awais has expressed gratitude to the embassy for recognising his efforts.


Ahmad Awais tweeted, “I’m immensely humbled that my teeny-tiny open-source contribution was part of humanity’s first successful effort at powered, controlled flight of an aeroplane on another planet.”


Last month, the award-winning open source engineer tweeted about his achievement. “My Open Source Contribution to” he wrote.

 

Source: PakObserver