The NASA Mars helicopter was supposed to fly five times in 30 days on the Red Planet, has exceeded all expectations for the duration of its mission, which is currently approaching seven months and a 16th flight.
The flight had been planned as early as Saturday by NASA and the rotorcraft’s cameras have assisted NASA in plotting the path of the Perseverance rover as it explores the Jezero Crater, drilling rock samples to hunt for signs of ancient life.
Read more: NASA: According to a recent audit, landing on the moon is tough until 2027
According to Teddy Tzanetos, the NASA Ingenuity team lead: This helicopter specialty is that many of its parts are more remarkable and commercially available or “off the shelf,” components for Earth-based drones or computers.
“To be honest, any flight could be our last,” Tzanetos said. “As a result, it won’t surprise us if and when some of its components fail. But that may be a terrific find… a new piece of information that helps us comprehend flight on another planet.”
Also, NASA took to twitter for the announcement of the news through its official account.
#MarsHelicopter is preparing for Flight 16! No earlier than Nov. 20, it will attempt a 109-second flight at an altitude of 33 ft (10 meters). It’ll glide at 3 mph (1.5 m/s) and cover 380 ft (116 meters), while capturing photos to help out @NASAPersevere. https://t.co/W0OYnSrXYR pic.twitter.com/pWj78WRlPU
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) November 17, 2021
Have a look!
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