On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance rover landed on Mars carrying the most advanced scientific instruments ever sent to another planet. Experiments have also been conducted to push the limits of exploration and pave the way for crewed missions to Mars. This includes the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, an experimental flight system that will be used to investigate whether flight systems can be used in the Martian atmosphere.
After its first flight on April 19, Ingenuity took off twice more, setting many records in the process. During its last test flight (which took place on the morning of April 25th) the helicopter flew further and faster than ever before. In total, the helicopter covered a distance of 50 meters in 80 seconds and reached a top speed of 2 m / s (6.6 feet per second) or 7.2 km / h (4.5 mph).
The flight began at 12:33 p.m. Mars Standard Time (MST) – or 04:31 a.m. EDT and 01:31 a.m. PDT here on Earth – with the helicopter rising to 5 m – the same altitude as its second flight. Less than six hours later (at 10:16 a.m. EDT; 7:16 a.m. PDT), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Ingenuity team received information from Perseverance, which was monitoring the flight with its Mastcam-Z-mounted camera system.
The team loved the footage that showed the helicopter flying out of sight and going further and faster than ever before – even during test flights here on Earth. The data obtained from this flight will inform not only additional Ingenuity flights, but also possible Mars rotorcraft in the future. Dave Lavery, program manager for Ingenuity at NASA Headquarters in Wahsington, DC said:
“Today’s flight was exactly what we had planned, and yet it was just amazing. With this flight, we demonstrate important capabilities that will allow us to add an air dimension to future Mars missions. “
The Ingenuity team also took this opportunity to push the boundaries of the helicopter by adding instructions, including asking them to take more pictures with both the color camera and the black and white navigation camera. While the color camera took its first pictures on the second flight, the black and white navigation camera was put through its paces on this last flight.
This consisted of the ability to track surface features under the helicopter and process the images captured on board. These are vital to Ingenuinity’s flight computer, which will fly the helicopter autonomously based on instructions received hours before the data returns to Earth. As it travels greater distances, more images are taken to keep track of its flight path and ensure it doesn’t travel too fast to lose sight of surface features.
As already mentioned, this third test flight exceeded everything Ingenuity could do in test runs here on earth. These took place in vacuum chambers at JPL, which are filled with a thin atmosphere (mainly carbon dioxide) to simulate the conditions on Mars. Unfortunately, these chambers are very narrow and only allow vehicles as small as Ingenuity to move about half a meter in each direction.
To make sure the camera could track the surface while the helicopter flew much longer distances on Mars, the team had to make sure everything was in order. “When you’re in the test chamber, you have an emergency land button right there and all these safety features,” said Gerik Kubiak, a JPL software engineer. “We have done everything we can to prepare Ingenuity to fly freely without these features.”
These preparations mainly focused on the algorithm used to track surface features, but also included the software and hardware to ensure that dust and environmental factors do not affect the exposure of images. “This is the first time we’ve seen the camera’s algorithm run over a long distance,” said MiMi Aung, project manager for the helicopter at JPL. “You can’t do that in a test chamber.”
Like everything else about these flights, these additional steps in the verification process are intended to provide insights that will help you plan future missions. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team is currently planning future missions with the possibility of a fourth flight in the coming days. With so much achieved, it’s hard to imagine what milestones and records you can look forward to.
Further reading: NASA, NASA
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