NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has successfully completed its 50th flight, traveling 1,057.09 feet in 145.7 seconds before descending near the half-mile-wide “Belva Crater.” The helicopter was initially planned to be a technology demonstration that would fly no more than five times, eventually turning into an operations demonstration.
What’s next? Ingenuity is set to fly at a greater frequency in the coming days because it needs to remain within electronic earshot of the rover. Thanks to AutoNav technology, Perseverance can travel hundreds of meters each day. Unfortunately, some helicopter components are now showing signs of wear and the terrain becoming more challenging, which means Ingenuity may soon go offline.
- NASA - inspired LEGO City Lunar Space Station set comes with separate rooms, a docking space capsule, plus 5 LEGO astronaut minifigures
- Features 5 LEGO astronaut minifigures, including 3 with space suits and helmets with interchangeable hair elements, plus toy tools and accessories
- This outer space station toy includes science and botany labs, sleeping quarters for the LEGO astronaut minifigures and a docking space capsule
Just as the Wright brothers continued their experiments well after that momentous day at Kitty Hawk in 1903, the Ingenuity team continues to pursue and learn from the flight operations of the first aircraft on another world,” said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
