Mars helicopter impresses researchers, begins bold new mission
By Andrea Lyon
Mars helicopter impresses researchers, begins bold new mission
NASA scientists are putting Ingenuity to the ultimate test after they say the Mars helicopter far surpassed their expectations.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - NASA scientists are putting Ingenuity to the ultimate test after they say the Mars helicopter far surpassed their expectations.
The helicopter was originally built to withstand its 30-day mission, which it did, meeting the researchers goals of taking off and landing all three times.
Ingenuity’s first flight took off April 19, launching just 10 feet above the ground, turned, hovered and then landed.
After fourth successful flight, Mars helicopter gets a new mission
By
Ashley Strickland, CNN
enablePagination: false Credit: JPL-Caltech/MSSS/NASA
(CNN) After four successful flights on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter is graduating to a new phase of its mission and will fly for at least another month on the red planet.
The little 4-pound chopper has achieved all of its objectives and now it will chase after new ones. This also means the Perseverance rover and its aerial sidekick get to spend more time together working on a joint mission. Ingenuity is going to transition from a technology demonstration, where we prove the technical capabilities of the helicopter, to an operations demonstration where we re going to gather information on the operational support capability of the helicopter while Perseverance focuses on its science mission, said Lori Glaze, director of NASA s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, during a press conference Friday.
NASA extends Mars helicopter mission to assist rover
Ingenuity successfully completes fourth flight above the Red Planet s surface.
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This is an illustration of NASA s Ingenuity Mars helicopter on Mars, where the space agency has decided to extend the aircraft s mission. Image courtesy of NASA | License Photo
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter can be seen hovering during its third flight Sunday, photographed by the by the left navigation camera aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Photo courtesy NASA
NASA s Mars helicopter Ingenuity captured this shot as it hovered over the Martian surface April 19 during the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet. Photo courtesy of NASA | License Photo
The success of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars have been a source of pleasant surprise for NASA scientists, who say the robot is ready to perform more critical operations in the overall mission of finding signs of ancient life on Mars.
NASA Mars helicopter Ingenuity became the first aircraft to perform a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The rotorcraft arrived on Mars attached to the belly of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. (Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech)
(CN) The Ingenuity helicopter has outperformed the expectations of NASA scientists. Now, the groundbreaking flying robot will transition to an operational role in the mission to find evidence of ancient life on the red planet.