The space agency plans to send two more helicopters to Mars as part of a mission to retrieve rock samples for closer study on Earth.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Amanda Kooser
Ingenuity is ready for its closeup, Mr. DeMille. NASA’s surprisingly long-lived Mars helicopter is the star of a newon Wednesday. It’s a rare detailed look at a trailblazing flying machine that has exceeded its creators’ wildest dreams. The image, one of several captured by the car-sized rover’s mast-mounted cameras, shows Ingenuity settled on the ground with its shadow stretched out below it. The rectangular piece on top is the rotorcraft’s solar array. The helicopter and rover aren’t always close to each other, so views like this one are special.
The 4-pound helicopter landed with Perseverance on Mars in early 2021. The chopper took an initial hopeful hop in April of that year, making it the first aircraft to pull off a powered, controlled flight on another planet. Since then, Ingenuity has performed over 50 flights and stands alone in the space history books... for now.Mars Sample Return
mission, which is meant to travel to Mars to pick up rock sample tubes collected by Perseverance and bring them back to Earth for closer study. NASA plans to send two helicopters along on that mission. Those choppers will be capable of flying across Mars and picking up sample tubes left on the ground by the rover.... [+]NASA screenshot by Amanda Kooser
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