The Ingenuity unmanned helicopter made the shortest flight in Martian aviation history
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced another successful flight of the Martian drone Ingenuity.
Here's What We Know
The helicopter, formerly known as the Mars Helicopter Scout, Terry, Wendy and Earth Copter, cost $85 million to fly to Mars in 2020 with the rover Perseverance, and made its first flight in April 2021. It took off 34 times in more than a year and a half on the Red Planet.
The #MarsHelicopter completes the shortest flight in Martian aviation history!
- NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) November 23, 2022
Ingenuity conducted a short hover for Flight 34, popping up 16 feet for 18 seconds. This flight tested out the capabilities of a major software update. https://t.co/rBpcSYubaJ pic.twitter.com/7D2DKkAcrf
The last flight was a few days ago. It lasted 18 seconds. It was Ingenuity's shortest flight. NASA called it the shortest in Martian aviation history.
The unmanned helicopter climbed to an altitude of 5 meters and then landed successfully on the surface of Mars. The purpose of the flight was to test the possibility of a major software update to Ingenuity. The update will allow the drone to use digital elevation maps for navigation and add an obstacle avoidance function during landing.
Source: NASA JPL
