NASA's record-setting automated Ingenuity completes one of its longest flights on Mars
NASA's Ingenuity was airborne for 145.99 seconds and travelled 390 meters (1,280 feet)Â while attaining a maximum altitude of 12 meters (40 feet).
- Science News
- 2 min read
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The tiny helicopter Ingenuity which landed on Mars with the Perseverance rover exactly two years ago continues to set new records. NASA, on February 17, confirmed that Ingenuity completed its record 43rd flight which was also its longest in almost a year.
In its latest flight, the helicopter was airborne for 145.99 seconds and travelled 390 meters (1,280 feet) while attaining a maximum altitude of 12 meters (40 feet). Weighing roughly 1.8 kg, Ingenuity was designed for just five flights which mission teams planned to test whether a powered flight on Mars is possible or not because of thin Martian air. Much to everyone's delight, Ingenuity has proved that it is possible. So far, the helicopter has also served as a scout for Perseverance before the car-sized rover explores an area in the Jezero crater, its landing site.
Ingenuity has completed Flight 43 – its longest flight in nearly a year! 🎉
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) February 16, 2023
The #MarsHelicopter traveled 1,280 ft (390 m) across the Martian surface for 145.99 seconds at a max. altitude of 40 ft (12 m). https://t.co/1CXIWdYIAQ pic.twitter.com/wxSVvSRcaN
Mars helicopter continues making new records
While Ingenuity is special for being the first helicopter to fly on Mars, what's more significant is that it completes its flights without any human help. Ingenuity is completely automated because transfer of radio signals to and from Mars could take anywhere from five to 20 minutes, which means it cannot be controlled in real-time. What the mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) do instead is they feed in instructions to Ingenuity's onboard computer beforehand and it follows them during its flights.
In two years of its operation, the helicopter has flown 8,829 meters (28,968 feet) and gained the highest altitude of 14 meters (46 feet). According to its flight log, its highest travelling speed has been 5.5 meters per second with the total flight time being a little over 72 minutes. Equipped with a pair of carbon-fibre blades, the helicopter draws its power from six-lithium ion batteries which makes it spin at 2,400 rpm, five times greater than an average helicopter. Lately, Ingenuity has been enduring the Martian winter which means less solar power, which in turn means less number of flights.