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Before any of this happens, however, Ingenuity needs to be put on its launch site, and set up, a process that will take a few more days.
After Perseverance gets off the helicopter, the helicopter must cover a distance of about five meters within 25 hours so as not to overshadow Ingenuity.
That’s the amount of time during which the Ingenuity battery can run the heater without needing to recharge it via solar panels.
This part is essential for surviving nighttime temperatures that can drop as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius).
If left unheated, the helicopter’s unprotected electrical components will freeze and crack, most likely thwarting the mission before it even begins.
However if everything goes according to plan, Perseverance will take a position at a distance to record Ingenuity’s exploits with its own camera.
In the future, up to five flights of gradual difficulty are planned over the next month.
The 1.8-kilogram helicopter aircraft cost NASA about US $ 85 million to develop and is considered a proof of concept that could revolutionize space exploration.
After Ingenuity, next planned is the Dragonfly, a helicopter lander set to launch in 2026 and arrive on Saturn’s icy moon Titan in 2034.
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