Just a month ago, communication with Ingenuity, a small helicopter that became the first vehicle of its kind fly over another planet. Fortunately, it was just fear, as he could again be found through his calls to perseverance, the rover with which he traveled to Mars. It is not known how many more flights he will be able to make after this small setback, but for now we can enjoy one he made just before the temporary loss.
Although the flight took place April 8there was no image published by NASA until now. They show a flight that broke two records. On the one hand, it was the longest he had done so far, lasting 2 minutes 41 seconds. On the other, the fastest, as it reached the speed 19 kilometers per hour.
It may not sound like much, but we must not forget that Ingenuity is as innovative as it is amazing. This is the first helicopter to fly over another planet; but, as if that were not enough, he dispelled all predictions about its duration. It was originally planned to make 5 flights in 30 days. However, he has been on Mars for more than a year and the flight of images is number 25. In addition, since then did three more.
Ingenuity helicopter’s record-breaking flight to Mars
In the video released by NASA, only the flight of Ingenuity is observed. Neither takeoff nor landing is visible, because. navigation camera programmed to turn off when it is less than 3 feet (about 1 meter) martian surface. In this way, they ensure that the typical dust of the red planet does not damage its components.
Another important fact of the video is that it is sped up. In fact, what amounted to more than two and a half minutes of Ingenuity’s flight comes down to 35 seconds. But be that as it may, these are unique pictures that show how this helicopter once again exceeded all expectations about it.
In the video, neither takeoff nor landing is visible, because the camera is turned off so as not to damage the dust.
This was not his last flight, as he had already made three others. However, it is not known how much longer he will spend. NASA doesn’t want to give it upbecause each time it gives a little more than expected.
But what is clear is that his mission is more than completed. And the fact is that in fact the hard work will be done and is being done Persistent all-terrain vehicle. The challenge for ingenuity was simply to prove that such Earth-controlled vehicles could fly to Mars. This would be very useful for the future colonization of the planet.
And it is clear that he clearly demonstrated this. So maybe it’s time to retire him, especially now that martian winter will make you leave it on standby for the season. But let’s see if every time they think about it they break the record again, it’s okay that they keep thinking about it. Who knows? Perhaps he will still be able to surprise us with the last trump card up his sleeve. Or under propellers.
Source: Hiper Textual
