The mini helicopter was dropped on ingenuity

The mini helicopter was dropped on ingenuity

Mars’ diligence mini-helicopter ingenuity has deposited on the surface of the red planet. “Landing on Mars helicopter confirmed!” US space agency NASA tweeted on Saturday (local time). Ingenuity is said to be the first motorized aircraft in history to fly over an alien planet.

NASA says the mini-helicopter’s 471-million-kilometer journey from the Mars rover came to an end after it was abandoned. The next “milestone” in front of the drone search device is “survival at night”.

A photo released by NASA shows that the Mars rover has now become smarter. During the voyage to Mars, ingenuity was plugged into the power of perseverance. After separation from the rover, its own batteries must power the helicopter’s built-in heating system. Mars can be as cold as minus 90 degrees at night. Ingenuity requires a temperature of seven degrees to protect its electrical components from freezing.

Weighing in at 1.8 kilograms and costing $ 85 million to build, NASA says the first intelligent aircraft should land quickly on April 11th. Flight testing is considered very difficult. Mars’ atmosphere is only one percent of Earth’s air density. This will make the helicopter boarding much more difficult. The gravity of Mars, which is two-thirds smaller than Earth, could help.

In its first flight, the “ingenuity” that looks like a small drone is said to rise one meter per second until it reaches a height of three meters. He had to be there for 30 seconds before landing again. Ingenuity has a built-in camera that can take high resolution photos during flight. In total, NASA is planning five helicopter flights at various difficulty levels.

AFP