NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has been pushing its boundaries ever since it landed on Martian soil. The little chopper has already exceeded expectations by performing extra flights on Mars. The chopper has now been pushed to its limits for its 9th flight, also the most challenging one to date.
The aircraft shattered its own records with the latest flight, as confirmed by NASA’s JPL. In the recent flight, Ingenuity was airborne for 166.4 seconds, beating the previous record of 139.9 seconds that was achieved during its 6th flight that was performed on May 23.
Ingenuity exceeding expectations
Moreover, the 4-pound, 19-inch-high Ingenuity also covered a distance of 625 m, beating the previous record of 266 m that was made during the 4th flight. It managed to fly at a speed of 5 m/s, which is also faster than what it has been flying. JPL tweeted about the flight with an image showing the Martian surface captured by the chopper’s camera.
Ingenuity has come a long way since it became the first aircraft to perform a controlled flight on another planet. During the historic flight, the helicopter reached an altitude of 3 m and stayed airborne for 40 seconds. With each passing flight, the aircraft pushed the limits.
More helicopters in the future?
The ground team has been delighted with Ingenuity’s ability to handle the extreme conditions on the Red Planet. Thanks to its carbon fiber blades that are fitted into two rotors that operate at 2,400 revolutions per minute. This is a much higher rate than the rotors on Earth because Mars has a thin atmosphere.
In the future, we could see more advanced versions of the Ingenuity helicopter used for exploring and analyzing rocky terrain on Mars and other planets. This will help space agencies explore areas where wheel-based rovers cannot reach. These helicopters could enable rovers to navigate safely with the help of a map, allowing them to move quickly between research sites.
In the upcoming flights, Ingenuity chopper will keep up with its rover partner Perseverance on the Red Planet and work in tandem for further research.
