As Earth turns its attention to various events, on Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter continues to make history and It has already completed 66 flights on the red planet.
Since the arrival of Perseverance rover and his companion, Ingenuityto the Jezero crater on Mars As of February 2018, 964 Martian days have passed. The double-propeller helicopter made its first flight on April 19, 2021 and recently completed its 66th flight on November 2.
What does NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter see?
The Ingenuity helicopter, which defies the harsh conditions of Mars with its four carbon fiber blades and rotors that spin at 2,400 revolutions per minute, It is only five feet tall and weighs 1.8 kg. Despite its reduced size compared to the Perseverance rover, it has proven to be a key piece in the exploration of the red planet.
Thanks to technology, we can see the unique perspective of an Ingenuity flight from its navigation camera.
Periodically, NASA publishes images taken by this space device. And of course, it was a matter of putting together each of the images to appreciate them in a unique sequence. This happened after Ingenuity flight 64, which took place on October 27.
During that flight, the NASA helicopter traveled a horizontal distance of 411 meters from a height of less than one and a half meters, at a speed relative to the ground of 21 kilometers per hour. And here we can see a good part of that view:
What is the function of the Ingenuity Helicopter?
From first flight in April 2021Ingenuity has accumulated more than 118 minutes of flight and has traveled 15 km. It has set speed and elevation records, exceeding original expectations for a mission planned for just five flights.
Therefore, this helicopter has far exceeded initial expectations and has become a vital asset in NASA’s search for past life on Mars.
Working in conjunction with the Perseverance rover, the helicopter is poring over Jezero Crater, where scientists believe ancient microbial life may have existed.
Although conclusive proof of extraterrestrial life has yet to be found, the commitment of NASA and its scientists continues to be the hope for discovering the hidden mysteries of Mars.