NASA Put A Helicopter On Mars & The Footage Is Out Of This World (VIDEO)
It's the first-ever aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet!
This article is part of Narcity Media's Technality series. Subscribe to Technality on YouTube for all things related to the future, tech and humanity.
A single photo taken some 250 million kilometres away from Earth just threw the red planet into focus like never before.
It was taken by the Mars Perseverance rover, and it shows NASA's remarkable Mars helicopter, Ingenuity.
The photo is the first time in two years that the two intrepid robots have been close enough for such a clear picture. It was taken from about 23 metres (75 feet) away, close enough to spot the layer of Mars dust on Ingenuity's rotor blades.
\u201cWell, we don't see this every day!\n\nFor the first time in nearly two years, @NASAPersevere is close enough to see the dust on the #MarsHelicopter's rotors. \ud83d\ude2e From about 75 ft / 23 m away, Ingenuity looks to be holding up well in the harsh Martian environment.\u201d— NASA JPL (@NASA JPL) 1681868300
Ingenuity isn't your average remote-controlled helicopter. This four-pound robot hitched a ride to the red planet tucked into Perseverance's chassis, and until it got there, NASA scientists weren't certain it would fly.
Mars has a much thinner atmosphere compared to Earth, making the physics of flight drastically different than at home. So, Ingenuity was designed with two sets of specifically shaped blades that have to spin super fast to achieve takeoff.
Ingenuity's mission was to prove that powered, controlled flight was possible even on Mars. And boy, did it ever.
Since it landed on February 18, 2021, ingenuity has successfully completed 50 flights – demolishing its goal of just five. It's gone farther, higher and faster than scientists had ever hoped.
Ingenuity's other job is to act as a scout for Perseverance, which has spent the last two years trundling along the surface of Mars collecting samples and looking for signs of life. Eventually, in about 10 years, those samples of Mars rock will be returned to Earth, and we'll be able to hold in our hands a tiny piece of another planet in our solar system.
Watch the full video above for more on Ingenuity, and make sure you subscribe to Technality on YouTube, where we cover all things related to the future, tech and humanity.
