Thread: Not a UFO on Mars! Ingenuity's first test flight.

The link below (1) from NASA provides video of the first IFO (identified flying object) on Mars, for those who have not seen it yet.

It is the first flight of the helicopter Ingenuity (2), delivered by a Sky Crane with the Perseverance Rover on 18 February 2021. We had to wait two months for this test. They sure can take their time about things.


1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210420.html

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingenuity_(helicopter)

Ingenuity made its second successful test flight today, making some lateral movement at about 5 meters altitude, and rotational movements to pan its camera. Very cool flying machine!

See the details and videos in the links below:

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8928/nasa...essful-flight/

https://www.space.com/mars-helicopte...-second-flight

BBC News* has an update on the third successful flight of Ingenuity on Mars.

This was much more ambitious, with a full 50m of lateral movement from its lift-off, in an 80 second flight. Two more test flights are scheduled before Perseverance moves on in its planned primary mission.

How much Ingenuity will influence that journey remains to be established.



https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56882257

Yesterday Ingenuity completed its fourth test flight *.

It took images of a potential new landing zone for future flights before returning to "Wright Brothers Field", its first LZ.

This time it flew a 266-meter round trip. It appears to be working flawlessly - a real tribute to the scientists and engineers who built it.

The fifth and final test flight will be one-way as it will be moving on to a new airfield, once it is established.

* https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/297/ingenuity-completes-its-fourth-flight/


And as a result of its outstanding performance, NASA has extended Ingenuity's mission :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56951752

Our IFO on Mars, Ingenuity, is on the move again*. On its fifth flight, it has relocated to a new LZ to accompany the rover Perseverance on its quest for data within 3.5 billion year old Jezero crater.

This flight covered 423 feet (129 m) and attained a new altitude record of 33 feet (10 m). This fifth flight, all robotic due to the com lag time, also allowed it to take numerous pictures of the surrounding area, something the rover cannot do in many places.

This little chopper could turn out to be a very useful scout, as was always planned. Long live Ingenuity!


* NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity lands at new airfield after 5th flight

https://www.space.com/mars-helicopte...t-new-airfield

Having completed 28 flights over Mar's surface for more than a year since landing, the Ingenuity chopper may be seeing its last functional days.*

Dust in the atmosphere is hindering battery recharging, and on-coming winter will be a challenge for power requirements. Its mission has been successful beyond all expectations, and NASA is trying to get as much out of it as possible. This has been a remarkable time of discovery for Ingenuity, NASA, and the rest of us.


"Winter is coming for NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter"

* https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/m...rs-helicopter/


For a more extensive review of its mission and photographs, check out the wiki link :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingenuity_(helicopter)