Preparations For The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Flight Are Underway
NASA recently shared a photograph via Twitter that shows the Perseverance rover successfully lowering the Ingenuity Mars helicopter to the surface of the Red Planet. The helicopter has spent months tucked underneath the belly of Perseverance, biding its time to try and attempt the first controlled flight on the surface of another planet. NASA says the Mars helicopter has lowered all four legs and is positioned to touchdown on the Martian surface.
Exactly when Ingenuity will be placed on the surface of the Red Planet for the first time is unknown. Currently, NASA is planning on a first flight for the Ingenuity helicopter no earlier than April 11. The Mars helicopter is very different from helicopters you might see operating in the skies daily.
It has no tail rotor instead using counterrotating main rotors. It has a small boxy body and long rotors to help generate lift in the thin Martian atmosphere. Ingenuity's main job is to be a technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars. The helicopter launched on July 30, 2020, along with the Perseverance rover, and landed on February 18, 2021, on Mars.
NASA is planning a 30-day mission for the Ingenuity helicopter with one or more test flights. Images and footage of the test flights will be gathered by Perseverance, which is parked a safe distance away from Ingenuity. The aircraft weighs about four pounds and uses solar power, gathering energy from the sun.
We're in the home stretch. The #MarsHelicopter has lowered all four legs and is in position to touch down on the Martian surface. Once it's fully ready, @NASAPersevere will release it gently to the surface. https://t.co/TNCdXWcKWE pic.twitter.com/K3fqt2X2q3
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) March 31, 2021
The counter-rotating blades spin at 2400 RPM, and inside the boxy body are computers, navigation sensors, and a pair of cameras. One of the cameras is black-and-white, and the other is color. Ingenuity stands about 19-inches high, and if its flight is successful, it could have significant ramifications for exploring Mars in the future.