We’re about to boldly go where no helicopter has gone before.
When NASA’s Perseverance rover touches down on Mars later this month, the groundbreaking Ingenuity helicopter will be in tow. The new technology is essentially a space drone, the first of its kind to fly on another planet.
NASA said Ingenuity will perform a series of experiments over a 30-day martian window. The most important of those tests is a simple, 20 to 30 second trip, the inaugural powered flight on a new world if it's successful.
"Ingenuity features four specially made carbon-fiber blades, arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm - many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth," NASA’s Ingenuity website said.
The blades are larger and spin faster because Mars’ atmosphere is 99 percent less dense than Earth’s.
Flight controllers won't be able to control Ingenuity while it's actually in the air due to extensive communication delays. Instead, commands will be programmed in advance and the team won't know how the flight went until it’s over. In all, the helicopter weighs about four pounds.
A high school student from Alabama came up with the name Ingenuity, originally submitted for the rover. NASA loved it so much they kept it for the helicopter.
The mission is expected to touch down on the red planet February 18.
If Ingenuity succeeds in flight, future Mars exploration "could include an ambitious aerial dimension," according to NASA.
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