Rabat – Nasa announced on Monday that it succeeded in flying the first small robotic helicopter, named Ingenuity, on Mars.
“Altimeter data confirms that Ingenuity has performed its first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet,” said a NASA engineer.
After landing on Mars, Ingenuity sent a black and white picture to NASA, photographing its shadow on the surface.
Following the announcement, NASA released the picture taken by Ingenuity and a short video of the flight, taken by NASA’s rover, Perseverance, of which Ingenuity was attached on the journey to Mars.
In the video, the helicopter is seen hovering about ten feet above the ground for approximately 30 seconds before landing back on Mars’ surface.
Since the air on Mars is so thin, equivalent to 1% density compared to the Earth’s atmosphere, the mission was extremely difficult. The thinness of the air means there is not much for the “helicopter blades to push against” when creating lift.
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA said, “Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has succeeded in performing this amazing feat on another world.”
“While these two iconic moments in aviation history may be separated by time and 173 million miles of space, they now will forever be linked,” Zurbuchen added.
The flight was originally scheduled for April 11, but the agency postponed it due to a technical issue that occurred during preflight tests.
The flight was broadcast live on NASA’s website and social media channels on Monday, when the flight’s data arrived on Earth.
Following the success of Monday’s flight, NASA could attempt other flights.
The first three flights are designed to put the helicopter’s basic capabilities to the test.
The third flight could fly for 160 feet while the other two final flights could travel further.
