Mars Ingenuity Helicopter safely unfolds on Martian surface - Take a look

Touring the red planet is no less than a dream come true. The good news is that we're slowly getting there. The NASA Ingenuity helicopter, which is the first-ever powered, guided flight to be flying on another planet, is preparing for take-off as soon as April 8, 2021. This reinforces the interest of citizens who had almost given up hopes for being able to witness the historic moment. Here's the latest update on the Mars helicopter.

NASA Ingenuity Helicopter prepares for take-off on Mars - Here's the first look at the flight

Credit - JPL NASA

The mini chopper that had ascended Mars curled up inside the Mars rover, it took a while for the Ingenuity mission to take off. Now, the Mars helicopter has successfully stretched out its legs above the surface of the planet and is only waiting to get detached from the Perseverance Mars rover to set off on its own. The plan is to leave Perseverance and Ingenuity in their own separate ways so that the helicopter will be able to charge up its solar-powered batteries as soon as possible.

Before the first flight takes off, the mission personnel will need to run a total of five tests to ensure all is well. The first flight will only be of the duration of 30 seconds and fly up to 10 feet (3 m) above the surface. Each subsequent test will challenge higher altitudes with the ultimate goal being to carry the helicopter over 980 feet (300 meters). The Ingenuity helicopter is designed in a way to survive the night temperatures on Mars coupled with the ability to ascend despite the ridiculously thin atmosphere. If things go as planned, the helicopter will be able to fly around the red planet for about a month as per the time on Earth.

Perseverance will also keep the helicopter company as it will embark on its own journey to cache rock samples that will be of substantial help for future missions. About 2300 miles away, NASA's Curiosity rover is also touring the same planet and is dedicatedly sending selfies of the Mont Mercou, a 20-foot-tall rock formation on Mars.

Credit - JPL NASA

Image Source: NASA website