Ingenuity has gone off script on its 71st Mars mission

Madrid, January 10 (European Press) –

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, which Accompanying the Perseverance rover on its journey through Jezero CraterIt landed successfully but much earlier than planned on its 71st flight.

This trip took place on January 6th It is programmed to travel a distance of 358 meters for 125 seconds.. However, he only covered 71 meters in 35 seconds.. The planned flight height of 12 meters and speed of 7 meters per second were achieved.

“The relatively monotonous terrain it flew over (sand undulations with little or no rocks) proved challenging for its navigation system.” He explained the mission on his account X.

Creativity Complete Flight 71!

the #Mars helicopter It landed successfully, but earlier than expected. The relatively featureless terrain over which it flew (sand undulations with little or no rocks) proved challenging for its navigation system. See statistics: https://t.co/1CXIWdYIAQ pic.twitter.com/RaCmAgON34

— NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (@NASAJPL) January 10, 2024

The first powered flying aircraft in another world, The bara is half a meter long and weighs 1.8 kilograms. It contains six solar-charged lithium-ion batteries. Its four carbon fiber blades are arranged in two rotors that spin in opposite directions at about 2,400 rpm, much faster than a helicopter on the ground.

Since April 2021, the Mars helicopter has recorded 128.3 minutes of flight, covered a distance of 17 kilometers and reached altitudes of up to 24 metres. It is contributing its images to the planning of Perseverance's surface exploration.