NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flies 46 feet above Mars, sets record
What's the story
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flew its highest-ever distance from Mars' surface during its 35th flight. The 1.8kg-chopper flew 46 feet above the red planet on December 3, setting a new aviation record. The previous record was when the helicopter reached a height of 39 feet. This was achieved three times, during its 10th, 11th, and 15th flights.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Ingenuity helicopter hitched a ride along with the Perseverance Rover and landed on the red planet in February 2021. Ingenuity was the first to prove that powered flights are possible on Mars. After the completion of the initial technology-demonstration phase, NASA extended the mission. It is now focused on performing reconnaissance for the Rover and demonstrating flight operations that future missions can utilize.
Record
The duration of the 35th flight was 52 seconds
The duration of the Ingenuity Helicopter's 35th flight on December 3 was 52.22 seconds during which it covered a horizontal distance of 50 feet at a speed of 10.8km/h. According to NASA's official flight log, the chopper has made 35 successful flights to date. Cumulatively, it has traveled 24,302 feet and stayed afloat for 59.9 minutes. Its highest ground speed is 19.8km/h.
Twitter Post
Check out the view captured by the Mars helicopter
An all-time high for the #MarsHelicopter!
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) December 6, 2022
Ingenuity completed Flight 35 over the weekend and set a new max altitude record, hitting 46 ft (14 meters) above the Martian surface. See more stats in the flight log: https://t.co/7DMHj9LkNX pic.twitter.com/qAj5H9Z68C
Recent fix
Ingenuity helicopter recently received major software update
Ingenuity recently had a major software upgrade which took several weeks to install. "This update provides Ingenuity with two major new capabilities: hazard avoidance when landing and the use of digital elevation map to help navigate," said NASA. "The update brings out new functionality in Ingenuity, making it a far more capable vehicle and effective scout for Perseverance."
Information
Ingenuity's 34th flight lasted merely 18 seconds
The previous 34th flight was the shortest flight in Mars' aviation history lasting 18.3 seconds during which Ingenuity lifted 16 feet off the ground. This was the first time that Ingenuity took to the air after its software upgrade.