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From NASA Mars helicopter, named Ingenuity, was successfully powered on for the first time in space last week.
Ingenuity is the first helicopter designed to fly on another planet. He is currently traveling to the Red Planet on board NASA’s Perseverance Mars 2020 rover, which launched July 30.
On August 7, the helicopter’s six lithium-ion batteries were powered up and charged for the first time in space. The 4 books. (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity, which is currently stowed under Perseverance’s belly, is receiving its charge from the rover’s power supply, according to a NASA statement Thursday, August 13.
Related: In photos: NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission to the Red Planet
“This was an important milestone, as it was our first opportunity to activate Ingenuity and test its electronics since our launch on July 30,” said Tim Canham, operations manager for Mars Helicopter at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (JPL) in Southern California, said in the statement. “Since everything went as planned, we will be performing the same activity approximately every two weeks to maintain an acceptable state of charge.”
Charging the batteries took eight hours, during which time NASA tested and analyzed their performance. The batteries were only charged to 35% of their maximum level, in order to maintain optimum battery health, the statement said.
Perseverance is intended for land on mars on February 18, 2021. At some point, Ingenuity will detach from the rover, descend to the surface of the Red Planet, and perform some pioneer test flights. (After deployment to Mars, the helicopter’s batteries will be charged by its own solar panel.)
If the experimental test flights unfold as planned, Ingenuity will prove robotic flight is possible on Mars, opening the door to extended aerial exploration in future missions.
“This charging activity shows that we have survived the launch and that, so far, we can handle the harsh environment of interplanetary space,” MiMi Aung, Ingenuity Mars helicopter project manager at JPL, said in the statement. “We still have a lot of firsts to go before we can attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet, but for now we all feel very good about the future.”
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