Ingenuity helicopter phones home from Mars

HOUSTON (CNN) – The Ingenuity helicopter, sidekick and travel companion of NASA’s Perseverance rover, recorded a good report and “is performing as expected,” according to the agency.

If successful, Ingenuity will be the first helicopter to fly to another planet, leading to an “Wright Brothers’ alien moment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Missions Directorate.

The rover landed safely on the surface of Mars Thursday after launching from Earth on July 30. Perseverance has already returned an impressive set of images to show that she is safe and ready to go through a “verification” phase before beginning her journey to the surface. .

Now the mission team has heard the helicopter directly for the first time – and that’s good news.

The ingenuity is currently tucked under the rover and strapped to Perseverance’s belly. The rover is about the size of an SUV, while the helicopter weighs only about 4 pounds.

The helicopter was able to phone home via the rover by sending back data via NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which acts as a communications relay between Mars and Earth and has been circling the Red Planet since 2006.

Ingenuity is at ease where it is and won’t let go of the rover anytime soon for a test flight. The helicopter will remain properly adjusted to the rover for 30 to 60 days.

“Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter I’m carrying, is performing as expected. I am currently charging it, but once I put it down, it will depend solely on its solar panels. If it survives the extremely cold Martian nights, the team will attempt theft, “read a Tweeter from the Persévérance Twitter account.

Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter I carry, is performing as expected. I am currently charging it, but once I put it down, it will only depend on its solar panels. If he survives the brutally cold Martian nights, the team will attempt to escape. https://t.co/8pksN06ZwP#CountdownToMarspic.twitter.com/80kEoww0QU

– NASA Mars Rover Perseverance (@NASAPersevere) February 20, 2021

“There are two important things we look for in the data: the state of charge of the Ingenuity batteries as well as confirmation that the base station is operating as intended, ordering the heaters to turn off and on for keep the electronics of the helicopter within limits. “Tim Canham, head of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter operations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement.

“Both seem to be working very well. With this positive report, we will move forward with the charge (Saturday) of the helicopter batteries.”

Ingenuity needs to power up and store energy so it can warm up and maintain other vital functions during the cold Mars nights once the rover lands the helicopter on the surface of the red planet. Then Ingenuity will be alone.

And it’ll have to withstand nights when temperatures can drop to negative 130 degrees Fahrenheit. As Elton John sings in “Rocket Man”, Mars is, indeed, as cold as hell.

Maintaining function and good battery health will be essential if the helicopter is to survive the freezing Martian climate before attempting test flights later. A total of five test flights are scheduled over a 31-day period once the rover finds the right “helipad,” or nice flat spot, to drop Ingenuity off.

As long as ingenuity is attached to perseverance, the helicopter can give its batteries a boost. The helicopter has six lithium-ion batteries. Once it has detached from the rover, these batteries will be charged by the helicopter’s solar panel.

Ingenuity’s first flight will be short, only about 20 seconds of hovering over the ground. But it will be a historic moment. Much like the very first Martian rover, Sojourner, Ingenuity is a technological demonstration – an experiment. Proving that this concept can work could lead to the development of rotorcraft that could in the future serve as scouts for rovers and human missions to Mars.

If this first flight is successful, “more than 90% of the project’s objectives will have been achieved,” according to NASA.

Subsequent flights could last longer and further test the capabilities of the helicopter. It carries two cameras which can provide aerial images. Perseverance will also train its cameras at Ingenuity to capture the sights and sounds, including video, of these historic flights.

“We’re in uncharted territory, but this team is used to it,” MiMi Aung, project manager for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter at JPL, said in a statement. “Just about every milestone between now and the end of our flight demonstration program will be a first, and each must succeed in order for us to move on to the next. We will take advantage of this good news for now, but then we have to get back to work. “

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