The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s carbon fiber blades can be seen in this video taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on April 8, 2021, the 48th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. They are performing a wiggle test before the actual spin-up to ensure they were working properly. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
With its recent 21st flight complete, the Red Planet rotorcraft is on its
way to setting more records during its second year of operations.
NASA has extended flight operations of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
through September. In the months ahead, history’s first aircraft to operate
from the surface of another world will support the Perseverance rover’s
upcoming science campaign exploring the ancient river delta of Jezero Crater.
Along the way, it will continue testing its own capabilities to support the
design of future Mars air vehicles.
The announcement comes on the heels of the rotorcraft’s 21st successful
flight, the first of at least three needed for the helicopter to cross the
northwest portion of a region known as “Séítah” and reach its next staging
area.
“Less than a year ago we didn’t even know if powered, controlled flight of
an aircraft at Mars was possible,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate
administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “Now, we are looking
forward to Ingenuity’s involvement in Perseverance’s second science campaign.
Such a transformation of mindset in such a short period is simply amazing, and
one of the most historic in the annals of air and space exploration.”
NASA’s hard at work on
the Red Planet. Watch the latest Mars Report for more on Ingenuity, along with
the agency’s Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Ingenuity’s new area of operations is entirely different from the modest,
relatively flat terrain it has been flying over since its first flight last
April. Several miles wide and formed by an ancient river, the fan-shaped delta
rises more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the crater floor. Filled with jagged
cliffs, angled surfaces, projecting boulders, and sand-filled pockets that
could stop a rover in its tracks (or upend a helicopter upon landing), the
delta promises to hold numerous geologic revelations – perhaps even the proof
necessary to determine that microscopic life once existed on Mars billions of
years ago.
Upon reaching the delta, Ingenuity’s first orders will be to help determine
which of two dry river channels Perseverance should take when it’s time to
climb to the top of the delta. Along with routing assistance, data provided by
the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential science
targets. Ingenuity may even be called upon to image geologic features too far
afield (or outside of the rover’s traversable zone), or perhaps scout landing
zones and caching sites for the Mars Sample Return program.
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter acquired this
image in the northwest portion of a region known as “Séítah” using its
high-resolution color camera during its 20th flight on Feb. 25, 2022. Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech
“The Jezero river delta campaign will be the biggest challenge the
Ingenuity team faces since first flight at Mars,” said Teddy Tzanetos,
Ingenuity team lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“To enhance our chances of success, we have increased the size of our team and
are making upgrades to our flight software geared toward improving operational
flexibility and flight safety.”
Higher Flights
Several of these upgrades have led to reduced navigation errors during
flight, which increases both flight and landing safety. A recent software
change already on the rotorcraft frees Ingenuity from its previously programmed
maximum altitude of 50 feet (15 meters). The altitude gains could result in
incremental increases in both air speed and range. A second upgrade allows
Ingenuity to change airspeed as it flies. Another enables it to better
understand and adjust to changes in terrain texture during flight. Future
software upgrades may include adding terrain elevation maps into the navigation
filter and a landing-hazard-avoidance capability.
Before aerial reconnaissance of the delta can begin, Ingenuity has to
complete its journey to the area. Scheduled for no earlier than March 19,
Ingenuity’s next flight will be a complex journey, about 1,150 feet (350
meters) in length, that includes a sharp bend in its course to avoid a large
hill. After that, the team will determine whether two or three more flights
will be required to complete the crossing of northwest Séítah.
This annotated image
depicts the multiple flights – and two different routes – NASA’s Ingenuity Mars
Helicopter could take on its trip to Jezero Crater’s delta. Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/USGS
The first experimental
flight on another world took place on April 19, 2021,
and lasted 39.1 seconds. After another four flights, six more minutes in the
air, and traveling a total distance of 1,637 feet (499 meters), NASA
transitioned Ingenuity into an operations
demonstration phase, testing its ability to provide an aerial
dimension to the Perseverance mission. With the completion of Flight 21, the
rotorcraft has logged over 38 minutes aloft and traveled 2.9 miles (4.64
kilometers). As Ingenuity pushes farther into uncharted territory, these
numbers will inevitably go up, and previous flight records will more than
likely fall.
“This upcoming flight will be my 22nd entry in our logbook,”
said Ingenuity chief pilot Håvard Grip of JPL. “I remember thinking when this
all started, we’d be lucky to have three entries and immensely fortunate to get
five. Now, at the rate we’re going, I’m going to need a second book.”
More About Ingenuity
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this
technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s
Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia,
provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance
during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also
provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space
designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter
Delivery System.
At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity
Mars Helicopter.
More About Perseverance
A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search
for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s
geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet,
and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken
rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency),
would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface
and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars
exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the
Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built
and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For more information about Ingenuity: mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter
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