NASA Mars Helicopter Lives, Notches Remarkable 29th Flight
Fly, little buddy, fly!
The Ingenuity helicopter's first 28 flights on Mars were phenomenal, but its 29th may be one of its most impressive achievements. The wunderkind rotorcraft survived technical glitches, a dead sensor and brutal winter conditions to lift itself once again into the Martian sky.
NASA JPL confirmed the successful flight in a tweet Tuesday, saying the chopper completed the 66.6-second journey over the weekend, traveling 587 feet (179 meters) across Mars. Ingenuity's previous flight, No. 28, took place at the end of April.
The #MarsHelicopter successfully completed Flight 29 over the weekend, its first since the start of winter operations at the end of April. On this 66.6-second flight, Ingenuity traveled at 5.5 m/s for 179 m.
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) June 14, 2022
How the team has adapted to recent challenges: https://t.co/N8RLXGF99B pic.twitter.com/A2wAFELEIZ
The flight was planned to reposition Ingenuity so it could stay in contact with its companion, the Perseverance rover. The duo have been working together to explore the Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed with a history of water. Percy is now checking out an intriguing river delta area that may hold clues as to whether Mars might have hosted microbial life.
Ingenuity has greatly outlasted its expected lifespan since taking its first flight in April 2021. The cold and dusty winter conditions on Mars will continue to challenge the solar-powered helicopter, but the completion of flight 29 is one more thrilling achievement in flight on another world.