MARS HELICOPTER
NASA Extends Ingenuity Helicopter Mission

With its recent 21st flying complete, the Red Planet rotorcraft is on its way to setting more records during its second yr of operations. READ More

Mars Helicopter Reaches a Total of 30 Minutes Aloft

The Reddish Planet rotorcraft reaches an airborne milestone the team never considered achievable. READ More than

Helicopter Flight Log

Rails all of Ingenuity'south flying details, including distances, speeds, and durations. Flight Log Raw Images

Quick Facts


Proper name Ingenuity
Main Job A engineering science demonstration to examination the offset powered flight on Mars. The helicopter rode to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover.
Launch July xxx, 2020, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Landed Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars
Length of Mission Engineering demonstration complete; transitioned to new operations demo stage
Fact Sheet | Press Kit

Taking Flight on Another World

Mars Helicopter with Perseverance rover in the background

The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is a technology demonstration to test powered, controlled flight on another world for the first time. It hitched a ride to Mars on the Perseverance rover. Once the rover reached a suitable "airfield" location, it released Ingenuity to the surface and so information technology could perform a series of test flights over a 30-Martian-day experimental window.

The helicopter completed its technology demonstration after three successful flights. For the first flying on April 19, 2021, Ingenuity took off, climbed to about 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground, hovered in the air briefly, completed a turn, and and so landed. It was a major milestone: the very commencement powered, controlled flying in the extremely thin temper of Mars, and, in fact, the outset such flight in any world beyond Earth. After that, the helicopter successfully performed additional experimental flights of incrementally farther distance and greater distance.

With its tech demo complete, Ingenuity transitions to a new operations demonstration phase to explore how future rovers and aerial explorers can work together.

Activities for Kids

Images

5 Things to Know

1

First exam of powered flying on another planet.

1

Built to exist light and strong plenty to stow away under the rover while on the way to Mars, and survive the harsh Martian environs after arriving on the surface. The helicopter weighs less than four pounds (ane.8 kilograms).

1

Powerful enough to lift off in the thin Mars atmosphere. The atmosphere of Mars is very sparse: less than 1% the density of Globe's.

1

The helicopter was designed to fly for up to ninety seconds, to distances of near 980 anxiety (300 meters) at a time and well-nigh ten to 15 anxiety from the ground. That's no pocket-size feat compared to the beginning 12-second flight of the Wright Brothers' airplane.

1

The helicopter flies on its own, without human being control. It must take off, wing, and land, with minimal commands from Earth sent in accelerate.

Flight Log

Flights 21 (as of 3/ten/22)

Distance Flown 4,647 meters (~xv,247 ft)

Highest Altitude 12 meters (~39 ft)

Fastest Basis Speed v chiliad/due south (eleven.2 mph)

Flying Time ~38.viii minutes (ii,329 seconds)

Anatomy of the Mars Helicopter

'Hover' or 'click' on the orange dots to acquire about the parts on the Mars Helicopter.

Use links to show or hibernate all the labels.

Mars Helicopter Artist's Concept

Antennas

Radio antennas talk to Globe via the Mars 2020 rover and the Mars orbiters. x

Solar Panel

A solar panel helps continue the battery charged. x

Avionics & Body

Its avionics — or "brains" — help the helicopter function and navigate. The body has insulation and heaters to go along sensitive electronics warm and survive common cold Martian nights. ten

Sensors & Cameras

Sensors collect data on how fast the helicopter is traveling and in which direction. Cameras help the helicopter meet. x

Blades

Made of carbon fiber foam cadre provide lift in the sparse Mars atmosphere. 10

Batteries

Batteries help power the helicopter. ten

Legs

Ultra-light legs fabricated of carbon cobweb tubes aid it state after flying. 10

Tech Specs

Mass ane.8 kilograms
Weight 4 pounds on Earth; 1.v pounds on Mars
Width Total length of rotors: ~iv feet (~ane.2 meters) tip to tip
Power Solar panel charges Lithium-ion batteries, providing enough energy for ane 90-second flight per Martian day (~350 Watts of average power during flying)
Bract span Merely under 4 feet (1.2 meters)
Flying range Up to 980 feet (300 meters)
Flight distance Up to 15 feet (5 meters)
Flight environment Thin atmosphere, less than 1% as dense every bit Earth'south

More Mars Missions