NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter completes 50th flight NASAJPL
on Mars. The first aircraft on another world reached the half-century mark on April 13, traveling over 1,057.09 feet in 145.7 seconds. The helicopter also achieved a new altitude record of 59 feet before alighting near the half-mile-wide "Belva Crater."
Ingenuity landed on the Red Planet in February 2021 attached to the belly of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover and will soon mark the two-year anniversary of its first flight, which took place on April 19, 2021. Designed as a technology demonstration that would fly no more than five times, the helicopter was intended to prove powered, controlled flight on another planet was possible. But Ingenuity exceeded expectations and transitioned into being an operations demonstration.
By testing the helicopter's limits, engineers are gathering flight data that can be used by engineers working on designs for possible future Mars helicopters. That includes the people designing the Mars Sample Return campaign's proposed Sample Recovery Helicopters.Since leaving the relatively flat confines of Jezero Crater's floor on Jan. 19, Ingenuity has flown 11 times, setting new speed and altitude records of 14.5 mph and 59 feet along the way.
Teddy Tzanetos at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides an update on the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter and discusses how it’s inspiring future aerial exploration of the red planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechBeyond facing more challenging terrain, Ingenuity will also fly at a greater frequency in the coming days because the helicopter needs to remain within electronic earshot of the rover. With its AutoNav capability, Perseverance can travel hundreds of meters each day.
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