Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
After a two-month hiatus, the little rotorcraft is back in business. Ingenuity spun its blades over the weekend, successfully completing Flight 30 on Mars. In the next few weeks, the helicopter will get closer to the river delta to join his robotic partner, Perseverance.
Ingenuity has been grounded since June 11 due to the harsh conditions on Mars. Currently, it's winter at Jezero Crater, where the helicopter is located. So, the temperatures can drop as low as -124°F (-86°C) at night. Not only that, but the days are shorter and the dust levels in the atmosphere are higher.
As a result, the helicopter's solar panel has received less sunlight. The good news is that the panel has begun to receive enough charge during the day to enable shorter trips. So now, after two months, Ingenuity was able to spin its blades once more.
In order to make sure that it can properly fly in the thin atmosphere of Mars, scientists commanded the rotorcraft to perform a spin at 50 rpm on August 6. Then, after nine days, it made it perform a 2,573-rpm spin for several seconds. Data collected indicated that Ingenuity was ready to take to the skies.
The flight took place in the afternoon to allow the batteries to charge as much as possible. The helicopter was able to stay aloft for 33 seconds. During this time, it climbed to a 16.5-ft (5-meter) altitude, and it covered a 6.5-ft (2-meter) distance.
Although this trip didn't compare to the helicopter's previous record-breaking flights, the goal was to check if the system was still in good shape. In the following weeks, Ingenuity will move closer to the ancient river delta. The rotorcraft will join the Perseverance rover, which got there in April. It will act as an aerial scout, guiding the rover to the best locations for sample collection.
As the weather improves, the battery should receive more charge. So the rotorcraft will be able to go higher and perform longer flights. Next month, Ingenuity is expected to receive a flight-software upgrade that will allow it to tackle the complex terrain in the river delta.
As a result, the helicopter's solar panel has received less sunlight. The good news is that the panel has begun to receive enough charge during the day to enable shorter trips. So now, after two months, Ingenuity was able to spin its blades once more.
In order to make sure that it can properly fly in the thin atmosphere of Mars, scientists commanded the rotorcraft to perform a spin at 50 rpm on August 6. Then, after nine days, it made it perform a 2,573-rpm spin for several seconds. Data collected indicated that Ingenuity was ready to take to the skies.
The flight took place in the afternoon to allow the batteries to charge as much as possible. The helicopter was able to stay aloft for 33 seconds. During this time, it climbed to a 16.5-ft (5-meter) altitude, and it covered a 6.5-ft (2-meter) distance.
Although this trip didn't compare to the helicopter's previous record-breaking flights, the goal was to check if the system was still in good shape. In the following weeks, Ingenuity will move closer to the ancient river delta. The rotorcraft will join the Perseverance rover, which got there in April. It will act as an aerial scout, guiding the rover to the best locations for sample collection.
As the weather improves, the battery should receive more charge. So the rotorcraft will be able to go higher and perform longer flights. Next month, Ingenuity is expected to receive a flight-software upgrade that will allow it to tackle the complex terrain in the river delta.
The #MarsHelicopter is back in flight! After a two-month hiatus, the rotorcraft did a short hop over the weekend so the team can check its vitals and knock some dust off the solar panel.
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 22, 2022
Learn more about why the team wanted a simple Flight 30: https://t.co/02Bn48aQ3Y pic.twitter.com/bnCUG794Ks
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