NASA extends ingenious helicopter mission to Mars

One more month. After successfully proving that it can fly to Mars, NASA announced on Friday, April 30, that the mission of the tiny ingenuity helicopter was extended by 30 days and turned it into a companion of rover perseverance.

The rover will now be responsible for supporting its main mission in its quest for ancient life on Mars, for example, by exploring places of scientific interest, finding a path that is inaccessible or safe by driving.

“Maybe one day, human researchers will come up with flying devices to help them, and this new phase will allow them to test.”, Lori Clas, director of NASA’s division of the planetary study. “Evaluate where we are after 30 days”, Did not rule out further elaboration of the test, he said.

Be careful though, ingenuity “Not really designed for a long task”, Bob Balaram, chief engineer of the late engine, points out the detrimental effect of freezing and thawing cycles in particular. It would also be necessary not to crash ingenuity, while at the same time making its flights more and more dangerous.

For now, he has passed it all brilliantly, this Friday being the fourth, longest time ever achieved: a total of 266 meters, in 117 seconds. NASA then expects two more flights in 30 days.