Pasadena. Mars’ little “ingenuity” helicopter sent its first level report to the control center in Pasadena, California on Friday (local time). “Everything seems to be working properly,” said Tim Cunham, project manager, according to a report by NASA. To keep the electronics warm, it is now important to quickly charge the six lithium ion batteries of the aircraft weighing two kilograms.
Tuesday night cold – minus 90 degrees Celsius
“Ingenuity” (in German: ्ा) is still attached to the base of “perseverance” (endurance). But in 30 to 60 days the helicopter will have to explore Mars from a bird’s eye view. This will be the first flight of a spacecraft on another planet. In doing so, the “ingenuity” will have to endure extreme conditions: on Mars, it will be as cold as minus 90 degrees Celsius at night.
The rover “diligently”, the size of a small car weighing about 1,000 kilograms, landed on Thursday – after 203 days of flight and 472 million kilometers of travel – with a dangerous maneuver in the dry lake of “Jessero Gorge”. Over the next two years, the lake, about 45 kilometers in diameter, will be “diligently” explored.
Measuring instruments should be tested
Over the next few days, NASA engineers will be testing the measuring instruments and the rover’s robot arm. Then the first short drive must be carried out. Later tours, experts want to see a flat spot on the surface of Mars, which will be a starting point for the mini helicopter.
The $ 2.5 billion (approximately 2 2.2 billion) rover took eight years to grow and build. He must search for traces of previous microbial life on Mars and study the planet’s climate and geography.
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