{"id":10849,"date":"2021-04-19T16:11:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=10849"},"modified":"2021-04-19T16:11:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:11:45","slug":"nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-historical-first-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-historical-first-flight\/10849\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Ingenuity Mars helicopter succeeds in historical first flight"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Ingenuity team at the agency\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA\u2019s Perseverance Mars rover<\/a> at 6:46 am EDT\u00a0on 19 April 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cIngenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects achieving a space exploration goal once thought impossible,\u201d commented acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. \u201cThe X-15 was a pathfinder for the space shuttle. Mars Pathfinder and its Sojourner rover did the same for three generations of Mars rovers. We don\u2019t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today\u2019s results indicate the sky \u2013 at least on Mars \u2013 may not be the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n The solar-powered helicopter became airborne 3:34 am EDT, which was a time the team concluded would have optimal energy and flight conditions.<\/p>\n Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 10 feet (three metres) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight.<\/p>\n The Ingenuity Mars helicopter\u2019s flight demonstration was autonomous and piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by the team at JPL.<\/p>\n