Nasa mars helicopter first flight5/21/2023 Scheduled for no earlier than March 19, Ingenuity's next flight will be a complex journey, about 1,150 feet (350 meters) in length, that includes a sharp bend in its course to avoid a large hill. Future software upgrades may include adding terrain elevation maps into the navigation filter and a landing-hazard-avoidance capability.īefore aerial reconnaissance of the delta can begin, Ingenuity has to complete its journey to the area. Another enables it to better understand and adjust to changes in terrain texture during flight. A second upgrade allows Ingenuity to change airspeed as it flies. The altitude gains could result in incremental increases in both air speed and range. ![]() A recent software change already on the rotorcraft frees Ingenuity from its previously programmed maximum altitude of 50 feet (15 meters). Several of these upgrades have led to reduced navigation errors during flight, which increases both flight and landing safety. They are performing a wiggle test before the actual spin-up to ensure they were working properly. "To enhance our chances of success, we have increased the size of our team and are making upgrades to our flight software geared toward improving operational flexibility and flight safety." The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s carbon fiber blades can be seen in this video taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on April 8, 2021, the 48th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. "The Jezero river delta campaign will be the biggest challenge the Ingenuity team faces since first flight at Mars," said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Ingenuity may even be called upon to image geologic features too far afield (or outside of the rover's traversable zone), or perhaps scout landing zones and caching sites for the Mars Sample Return program. Along with routing assistance, data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential science targets. ![]() Upon reaching the delta, Ingenuity's first orders will be to help determine which of two dry river channels Perseverance should take when it's time to climb to the top of the delta. Filled with jagged cliffs, angled surfaces, projecting boulders, and sand-filled pockets that could stop a rover in its tracks (or upend a helicopter upon landing), the delta promises to hold numerous geologic revelations-perhaps even the proof necessary to determine that microscopic life once existed on Mars billions of years ago. Several miles wide and formed by an ancient river, the fan-shaped delta rises more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the crater floor. Ingenuity's new area of operations is entirely different from the modest, relatively flat terrain it has been flying over since its first flight last April. Such a transformation of mindset in such a short period is simply amazing, and one of the most historic in the annals of air and space exploration." "Now, we are looking forward to Ingenuity's involvement in Perseverance's second science campaign. ![]() "Less than a year ago we didn't even know if powered, controlled flight of an aircraft at Mars was possible," said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. This success shows that flight on Mars is possible, though, and it opens the door to future aircraft that could scout planets in ways that no rover could possibly manage.The announcement comes on the heels of the rotorcraft's 21st successful flight, the first of at least three needed for the helicopter to cross the northwest portion of a region known as "Séítah" and reach its next staging area. The helicopter won't accomplish much by itself - it's mainly a proof of concept. It should be another modest test, but the administration will decide how to "best expand the flight profile." Ingenuity can fly up to 160 feet away from the Perseverance rover for durations up to 90 seconds. NASA hopes for a second flight as soon as April 22nd. You might not have to wait long for the next flight. NASA originally intended to fly Ingenuity on April 11th, but delayed the flight to fix a software issue with its command sequence. The flight also represented a triumph over technical hurdles. The helicopter is solar-powered, too, so the mission crew had to time the launch for the optimal amount of energy. The basic rules of flight are different, in other words, and Ingenuity is testing many components for the first time. Mars' gravity is about a third of Earth's, and the very thin atmosphere offers just 1 percent of our planet's surface-level pressure.
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