NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity successfully completed its historic first flight
The Ingenuity helicopter has successfully completed its historic flight on Mars and safely landed back on the surface, according to NASA.
The first powered, controlled flight on another planet took place at 3:30 a.m. ET.
Unlike when the helicopter’s fellow traveler, the Perseverance rover, landed on Mars on February 18, there was a bit of wait to know how the helicopter fared in its attempt.
The helicopter team was in mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, early Monday morning to receive and analyze the first data from Ingenuity’s flight attempt.
NASA makes history with Ingenuity helicopter s first test flight on Mars
The test flight took place on the floor of Martian land called Jezero Crater, almost 173 million miles away from Earth. Photo: NASA JPL
Updated: Apr 19, 2021, 04:33 PM IST
American space agency NASA made history on Monday with a test flight of its miniature helicopter Ingenuity above the surface of Mars.
Everything went according to the plan, and the chopper lifted off, becoming the first powered and controlled flight on another planet.
The test flight took place on the floor of Martian land called Jezero Crater, almost 173 million miles away from Earth.
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The Ingenuity helicopter is preparing for its historic flight on Mars today if everything goes according to plan.
The first powered, controlled flight on another planet will take place at 3.30am ET (5.30pm AEST) on April 19, according to NASA.
Unlike when the helicopter s fellow traveller, the Perseverance rover, landed on Mars on February 18, we won t be able to see images or know if it was successful right away.
The helicopter team will be in mission control at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, today to receive and analyse the first data from Ingenuity s flight attempt.
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Mars helicopter Ingenuity is set to make its first attempt at flight today.(NASA/Twitter)
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NASA s Ingenuity today hovered in the skies of Mars making the equipment the first human-made helicopter to take flight on another planet.
Amid cheers in the control room, engineers confirmed the diminutive helicopter had spun up its rotors, taken off, landed, and spun everything down, leaving the stage set for further tests. An image from the helicopter s onboard navigation camera showing its shadow on the surface of Mars was swiftly followed by another sequence from the Perseverance rover showing the helicopter hovering.
Ingenuity s shadow on Mars. Source: Screengrab from NASA/ESA live feed (click to enlarge)