The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to conduct a new flight of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars this week.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter landing on the surface of Mars on May 7, 2021. (Photo credit: AFP/TTXVN)
Nasa’s announcement on October 18 stated that this will be the 63rd flight of Ingenuity on the Red Planet, with the earliest possible execution date being October 19. The Ingenuity helicopter is expected to fly approximately 574 meters in 137 seconds to reposition itself in a new area.
According to NASA data, Ingenuity has completed 62 flights on Mars so far, with a total flight time of 113 minutes and a total distance of 13.9 kilometers.
NASA stated that the Ingenuity helicopter, standing 50 cm tall and weighing 1.8 kg, is designed to fly for a maximum of 90 seconds, covering nearly 300 meters each time and reaching an altitude of about 3-4.5 meters. On February 18, 2021, Ingenuity arrived at the Jezero Crater on Mars alongside the Perseverance rover.
Not only aimed at testing the helicopter’s feasibility 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 routes for the rover as it conducts its mission to search for evidence of life on the Red Planet.
