(NASA / Caltech)
NASA have decided to extend the flights of the first Martian helicopter Ingenyuiti for an indefinite period.
The experts decided this because of the good technical condition of the device and the extremely useful results of its work.
Ingenuity arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover on February this year.
Initially, it was planned that the helicopter will make no more than 5 experimental flights, thereby proving the possibility of using such devices for exploring the planet.
However, at the moment, the drone has worked for almost 6 months, having completed 13 flights during this time and successfully survived 3 major operational disruptions.
The thirteenth drone flight took place on September 4, 2021. The marscopter climbed 8 meters and flew a total of 210 meters in 161 seconds.
The purpose of this flight was a more detailed exploration of the South Seita region, begun during the 12th flight.
This area became the new place of work for Perseverance, during the new flight, the drone took ten color images of rocks and boulders, which can later be explored by the rover.
Thus, the total distance that the drone flew during its operation is almost 3 kilometers, and the total time of all flights is almost 25 minutes.
Taking into account the good technical condition of the device and the results of its work, the heads of the mission decided to extend its work for an indefinite period
The earlier flights were planned only until the end of August.
Source:
- Science Alert by AFP: https://www.sciencealert.com/remember-nasa-s-little-mars-copter-it-s-still-going-strong