Now it’s time to see what the Mars helicopter can really do

[Mike Wehner]

Sending a helicopter to Mars is something that had never been done before NASA strapped one to the belly of the might Perseverance rover and shot it into space. Nobody quite knew what was going to happen. Sure, the scientists and engineers working on the Ingenuity helicopter project had crunched all the numbers and outfitted the aircraft with everything it needed to get the job done once it arrived on Mars, but sometimes it doesn't matter how carefully you plan, especially when it comes to space exploration. When NASA finally fired it up, all the hard work paid off, and after three (soon to be four) successful flights, NASA says the aircraft has exceeded its expectations.

So, what's next? Does the Ingenuity team pack up and begin working on whatever comes next? Not quite. The helicopter still has weeks of life left, according to the original mission timeline that stated the aircraft would have roughly a month of working life once Perseverance cut it loose. You can't let a perfectly good helicopter go to waste, so NASA is ready to push it to its limits and see what it can really do.

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Now it’s time to see what the Mars helicopter can really do originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 29 Apr 2021 at 18:18:53 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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