Another great moment is coming for the US space agency. The first otherworldly aircraft in human history will soon attempt the first powered flight on Mars. There are almost no steps left before he can take this historic flight, but a rather important one has just been completed: he has detached himself from Perseverance and has touched the ground.
This mission, in full, is a demonstration of current technological power , so each milestone reached by this little machine will be fabulous and unique. It survived a 471 million kilometer trip into deep space , a short trip around the surface of Mars attached to the rover’s belly, and then a final drop of about 10 centimeters to Martian soil.
Has spent his first Martian night alone
Nighttime temperatures in Jezero Crater can drop as low as -90 ° C , which can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components and damage the onboard batteries needed for flight. Once the helicopter was dropped, Perseverance had to move quickly away to make sure Ingenuity got some sunlight. Surviving that first night after being deployed from the rover has been an important moment for the just 1.8 kilogram helicopter.
“This is the first time that Ingenuity has been alone on the surface of Mars,” said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “But now we have confirmation that we have the proper insulation, the proper heaters, and enough battery power to survive the cold nights, which is a huge victory for the team. We are excited to continue preparing Ingenuity for its first test of flight”.
If everything works as it should, Ingenuity will load properly and survive.
When will it make the first flight on Mars?
The maiden flight is scheduled for next Sunday, April 11. The mini helicopter will hover for about 20 to 30 seconds. If successful, 4 more flights will be attempted over the next 30 Martian days (each Martian day is about 3% longer than the Earth’s solar day, about 24 hours and 39 minutes).
Over the next two days, Ingenuity will collect information about how the power and thermal control systems work now that the small helicopter has “become independent” in the environment of Mars. This information will be used to fine-tune the drone’s thermal control system to help it survive the harsh nights on Mars for the entire duration of the flight experiment.
We cannot forget that it is a titanic challenge: building a ship small enough to fit in the rover and also light enough to fly in the very fine Martian atmosphere has been a challenge.
The mini drone does not carry scientific instruments because its only mission is to demonstrate that it is capable of flying in the atmosphere of Mars. Meanwhile, Perseverance will serve as a communications relay between Ingenuity and Earth and will use its suite of cameras to observe the characteristics of its flight.
Reference: NASA
