A small unmanned helicopter belonging to NASA, Ingenuity, was brought to Mars with the space probe Perseverance on February 18. The helicopter is still inside the spacecraft. Ingenuity is scheduled to start flying to explore the red planet in April.
Reporting from KompasTekno, the rover mission team and Ingenuity have selected an airfield on Mars for the 1.8 kg helicopter.
The helicopter, which is equipped with 2 2400 rpm rotors, a solar powered lithium battery and 4 carbon composite legs, is still attached to the Perseverance rover which is still in the Jezero Mars Crater. Later, if you are lucky, the helicopter will fly several times and the plan is that each flight will last for 20 to 30 seconds with a distance of 100 m.
I’m on my way to the “airfield” where the #MarsHelicopter will attempt its first test flight. A couple more drives should get me there.
Read more: https://t.co/FQvxp0XbBM pic.twitter.com/LKkFI9Mrho
– NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) March 23, 2021
Ingenuity is also equipped with a high-resolution camera but lacks scientific instruments as this mission is simply a demonstration of technology designed to help pave the way for future Mars aerial exploration.
As an experimental mission, if this succeeds then future Mars missions could include helicopters that will either serve as reconnaissance rovers or collect data on their own.
After helping run aground from the surface, Perseverance will begin to focus on its core mission. Explorers will hunt for signs of ancient Martian life and collect dozens of samples that will be brought back to Earth in early 2031.
Meanwhile, NASA will provide an update on Ingenuity’s flight plans during a press conference held on March 23 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The broadcast can be watched live through the official NASA website.
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