The Ingenuity Martian helicopter has taken to the Martian sky 28 times in recent years, far exceeding expectations and giving scientists a new perspective on the Red Planet. It was assumed that he would be able to ascend to the sky only 5 times.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
Winter is coming to Mars soon. Dust will rise, cover Ingenuityʼs solar panels, and prevent six lithium-ion batteries from being fully charged. This month, Ingenuity missed for the first time a scheduled session with the Perseverance rover, which it relies on when sending data and receiving commands from Earth. It is unknown whether the helicopter will survive the cold Martian winter.
For the past 13 months, the helicopter has been in the air for almost an hour. He covered about seven kilometers, developed a maximum speed of almost 20 kilometers per hour, and reached a maximum height of almost 12 meters. The helicopter overcame craters, photographed hard-to-reach places, and was a surprisingly resilient "NASA scout" that adapted to the changing Martian atmosphere and survived dust storms and cold nights.
- Ingenuityʼs mission is to help NASA test Martian helicopter technology to create larger and more advanced models. The helicopter costs $ 85 million and weighs 1.8 kg. Flying on Mars is very difficult due to the peculiarities of its atmosphere, the density of which is only 1% of Earthʼs. Because of this, the drone was made very light, and its propeller made more than 2,500 turns per minute.