NASA Perseverance Mars rover’s helicopter buddy Ingenuity has finished eight successful flights on the Red Planet. The small chopper has managed to exceed the expectations of the scientists and traveled farther than it was believed to be possible.
During the flight, Ingenuity was airborne for 77.4 seconds and traveled a distance of 525 feet (160 meters), and landed 440 feet (133.5 m) away from the Perseverance rover, as per a NASA JPL tweet.
Will Ingenuity take the ninth flight?
The little helicopter is a technology demonstration project that was sent to Mars with the Perseverance rover that landed on the planet in February this year. Before beginning its scientific research, the rover tested the chopper and another project that turns CO2 from the Martian atmosphere into breathable oxygen.
The latest flight came after two weeks of break. The success of the new flight marks the second seamless flight after a turbulent sixth flight that pushed the helicopter to its limits. During the sixth flight, it flew at a height of 33 feet in the southwest direction and capture colored pictures of the area before making a touchdown on a new base called “Field C.”
Although the chopper was built to fly only five times on Mars, its successful flights have encouraged NASA to extend its mission and try out more flights. While the initial flights of the chopper began and ended at the same place, it is now exploring new airfields. NASA is yet to announce the ninth flight, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it does so.
Working in tandem with Perseverance
As per SpaceNews reporter Jeff Foust, Ingenuity could keep exploring Mars for months. He reports that Ingenuity could make “a couple of flights a month” for “a few more months.”
Those flights would see the chopper keep up with its rover partner on the Red Planet to understand how both can work in tandem for further research. Perseverance rover is focused on hunting for signs of past life on Mars. Currently, it’s examining its landing site, Jazero Crater, and collecting rock samples for a later mission to carry to Earth for more analysis.
