According to NASA, the new altitude that the Ingenuity helicopter aims for will be approximately 16 meters. It is expected to fly for over 135 seconds and cover a distance of about 272.5 meters.
The new altitude that the Ingenuity helicopter aims for will be approximately 16 meters. (Source: NASA)
On March 28, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it has set a goal to establish a new altitude record for the Ingenuity helicopter during a flight on Mars scheduled for this weekend.
According to NASA, the new altitude that the Ingenuity helicopter aims for will be approximately 16 meters. Ingenuity is expected to fly for over 135 seconds and cover a distance of about 272.5 meters.
The Ingenuity helicopter stands 50 cm tall and weighs 1.8 kg. It was launched to Mars on February 18, 2021, alongside the Perseverance rover.
Not only intended to test the feasibility of helicopter flight on Mars, Ingenuity is also equipped with a camera to scout areas that Perseverance can explore, as well as assist in finding the most efficient and safest route for the rover during its mission to search for evidence of life on the “Red Planet.”
According to NASA, the Ingenuity helicopter was designed to fly for a maximum of 90 seconds, covering a distance of nearly 300 meters each time and maintaining an altitude of approximately 3-4.5 meters above the ground.
The deployment of Ingenuity on Mars is considered a technological demonstration to test powered flight for the first time on another planet.
Previously, during the mission on December 3, 2022, the Ingenuity helicopter set an altitude record by flying 14 meters above the surface of the “Red Planet.”
