Over the past weekend, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter completed its 33rd mission.
Ingenuity, a part of NASA’s life-seeking Perseverance rover mission, successfully finished a flight over Mars that lasted just over 55 seconds on Saturday (Sept. 24). The 4-pound (1.8-kg) rotorcraft traveled around 365 feet (111 meters) before landing in a new location, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, which is in charge of both Ingenuity and Perseverance’s missions.
The Perseverance rover mission’s Ingenuity flight, which was a component of it, lasted just over 55 seconds. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is in charge of overseeing missions both in the air and on the ground. JPL representatives claim that Ingenuity’s leg and shadow are visible in the picture.
A lake and a river delta were originally located at Jezero Crater. Later in the 2020s, NASA and the European Space Agency plan to fly a sample return mission to the area. Samples from Perseverance will be collected for this expedition using a helicopter resembling Ingenuity and transported to a rocket for a return trip to Earth.
Understanding Mars’ past and its prospects for life requires materials from Perseverance.
When Perseverance attempted to carry out a rock abrasion earlier in the week, it came into some difficulties. According to JPL, the rock crumbled because of an unanticipated reaction from the Martian surface.
They were able to observe and contrast both newly shattered and weathered rock surfaces, Eleanor Moreland noted in the post, and they learned more about the cohesion and strength of the rock.
A new target was chosen for a successful burn a few days later “thanks to the rapid work of the science and engineers,” Moreland added.
