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NASA Ingenuity Helicopter Smashes Speed Record on Mars for Its Ninth Flight

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter wrote history when it spun its little blades for the first time on Mars on April 19th. Since then, the rotorcraft has been through a lot. From demonstrating each time that it can fly further and faster in the thin atmosphere of the Red Planet to being assigned an aerial scouting job and even powering through a mid-flight anomaly.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter goes through "the most nerve-wracking flight since Flight 1" 8 photos
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
On July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on MarsOn July 5th, the little helicopter broke its own speed record on Mars
For its ninth flight, which occurred on July 5th, Ingenuity took things to the next level. The helicopter's last two flights were planned to keep up with its rover buddy Perseverance. However, on the ninth journey, the rotorcraft traveled further away from the rover's current location. Called Séítah, the region is characterized by sandy ripples hard to cross for wheeled vehicles.

Taking a shortcut across this harsh terrain, Ingenuity's goal was to land on a plain to the south. To accomplish that, the helicopter climbed up to fly 2,051 feet (625 meters) and flew at 5 meters (16 feet) per second, breaking its own record for speed. That's more than double the speed registered on its third flight on Mars, which scored 6.6 feet (2 meters) per second. As it passed over the region, the helicopter didn't miss the chance to snap a few aerial images of the rocks and ripples down below.

For Ingenuity, this was the most challenging flight since it touched down on the Red Planet. Its onboard navigation system, which allows it to detect where it is along the flight path, was developed for demonstration over flat terrain and lacked the design elements needed to accommodate the steep slopes encountered in Sétah. These undulations in the landscape could have caused errors in the helicopter's altitude control.

Luckily, Ingenuity flew high enough and successfully landed on a 164-foot-radius (50-meter-radius) area of clear ground. The journey was described as "the most nerve-wracking flight since Flight 1" by NASA and was part of Ingenuity's operational demonstration phase.

The flight proved the capabilities of an aerial vehicle to survey an area while traveling fast across rocky terrain and also gave the rover science team the possibility to take close-up photographs of Séítah's landscape.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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