NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Flies Faster, Farther on Third Flight

NASA ^ | April 25, 2021

[Ezekiel]

Perseverance's Left Navcam Views Ingenuity During its Third Flight: NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter can be seen hovering during its third flight on April 25, 2021, as seen by the left Navigation Camera aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Full image and caption ›

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The craft’s April 25 flight was conducted at speeds and distances beyond what had ever been previously demonstrated, even in testing on Earth.

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NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter continues to set records, flying faster and farther on Sunday, April 25, 2021 than in any tests it went through on Earth. The helicopter took off at 1:31 a.m. EDT (4:31 a.m. PDT), or 12:33 p.m. local Mars time, rising 16 feet (5 meters) – the same altitude as its second flight. Then it zipped downrange 164 feet (50 meters), almost half the length of a football field, reaching a top speed of 6.6 feet per second (2 meters per second).

After data came back from Mars starting at 10:16 a.m. EDT (7:16 a.m. PDT), Ingenuity’s team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California was ecstatic to see the helicopter soaring out of view.

[Repeal The 17th]

4.5 mph

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

It must be light as hell, how can it fly with such a sparse atmosphere?

[Revel]

I assume that the copter always returns to the rover for end flight. If so then this is probably the maximum distance it will ever get from the rover as it can’t fly for more than a minute before it lands.

[blueunicorn6]

I hope it got some good rock pictures.

[Shadylake]

They basically admitted that they’ll fly it until it crashes after the first time. They’re about halfway through the flights I believe now.

[Yossarian]

It must be light as hell, how can it fly with such a sparse atmosphere?

It is indeed lightweight, and its rotors spin at ~2500 RPM. (Compared that to small Earth helicopters which spin at - what? - 600 RPM or so?)

[odawg]

“...or 12:33 p.m. local Mars time...

I am so glad the Martian time was specified, to the minute. Not knowing that would really bother me.

[DoubleNickle]

It’s light as it can be and the blades rotation speed is 6x normal for what would be needed on Earth for flight.

[Yossarian]

(...) as it can’t fly for more than a minute before it lands.

My understanding is that it can fly for 90 seconds. I don't know if that's before or after common-sense battery-life margins are taken into account.

[Magnum44]

Then it zipped downrange 164 feet (50 meters), almost half the length of a football field...

Written by someone who apparently does not know football

[SauronOfMordor]

It doesn’t need to carry much payload, just a video camera, and transceiver powerful enough to reach the Rover.

I think its purpose is to scout ahead so the Rover doesn’t fall into a ditch.

[dfwgator]

Probably meant football as in soccer. A soccer field can be 120 yards (360 feet) long.

[blueunicorn6]

Crew rest.

[servantboy777]

So how much hard earned tax $$$ are being spent to send this probe to Mars to tell us what we already know?

I’m not particularly against the program, but what return are we expecting for the billions spent? Are we looking for rare minerals? Will we attempt at some point to bring back materials?

Now sounds like NASA is wanting to send people to Mars to the tune of billions. For what?

[Flick Lives]

It must be light as hell, how can it fly with such a sparse atmosphere?

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It is pretty amazing that an aircraft can operate in an environment where the air is 1% of Earth sea-level atmosphere. Gravity on Mars is about 40% less than Earth’s so that helps a bit. The helicopter weighs about 1-1/2 pounds on Mars.

Pictures of the helicopter blades show a very deep chord, probably to better scoop up that thin atmosphere.

Because of the distance from Earth, this craft, like the rover, are semi-autonomous. Basically they’re given a goal or a flight plan, in this case, and the craft pilots itself along the route, adjusting for any wind gusts, obstacles, etc.

This is a great example of the best sort of achievement humanity is capable of. A nice change from the 99% garbage stories were barged with daily.

[beethovenfan]

Only possible by using that RACIST math !!

[Yossarian]

If NASA is smart, they'll keep Ingenuity flying as long as possible, beyond the currently scheduled 30-day window.

From an engineering perspective: it's good to test an experimental device to the failure point.

From a mission perspective: perhaps there are cases where they can fly it out to check out a rock or ridge-line otherwise inaccessible. It's can only take pictures, but still…

Most importantly, from a PR perspective: Ingenuity both holds public fascination itself, AND it could take dramatic landscape shots of the Perseverance rover working away on the surface. Has NASA never heard of Instagram?

[Don Corleone]

Why not. No ATC traffic delays or irate late passengers.

[Bayard]

Tells us engineering info of fkying on Mars. There’s theory and the collection of real tried data that compounds on itself. Sometime this will be used for more flight attempts on Mars when we get there.

We’re not getting any materials out of Mars until there is a sizeable infrastructure and colony there. Which means we we’ll have to prospect the planet, likely by air travel.