Well, we’ve seen better photos of Mars, but this one is special, as it was taken by NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter. Encouraging, the craft managed to survive its first cold night on Mars, which brings us one step closer to its inaugural flight.
The low resolution photo was taken on April 3 when the Ingenuity was still under the Perseverance rover. I in fact, you can see two of the rover’s wheels in the upper corners of the image. This photo is a discreet preview of what’s to come; once the 4 pounds (1,8-kilograms) rotary devices take flight, they will try to capture high-resolution color images of their environment at heights that reach 3 feet.
In other good news, Ingenuity got it during its first night on Mars as an autonomous system, according to a NASA statement. The wit had tied up until last weekend and withstood a 4inches (10-centimeter) free fall to the surface. The helicopter was throwd on the surface on April 3 and is now standing on all fours.
That the ingenuity managed to survive its first night on Mars is a great relief. Jezero crater temperatures can drop to –130 degrees Fahrenheit (–90 degrees Celsius) at night. Electronic components and sensitive batteries can be severely damaged at these temperatures. No longer connected to perseverance, the helicopter will have to feed it now heater from its own battery, which it will do by drawing energy from its solar panels.
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“There is no more free energy,” Bob Balaram, chief engineer of the Mars Helicopter Project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wrote in a article written for NASA.
In a statement, MiMi Aung, head of ingenuity project at NASA’s JPL, said that “now we have the confirmation that we have the right insulation, the right heaters and enough energy to [Ingenuity’s] battery to survive the cold night, which is a great triumph for the team “.
The rotorcraft will now be monitored over the next few days to determine the proper operation of its thermal and energy control systems. and if any adjustments need to be made. Assuming everything is ticboo, the next main step will be to release the constraints that currently attach the rotor blades, followed by testing the blades and their associated motors. The team will also evaluate the vehicle’s autonomous navigation system, along with a device that will measure its orientation and angular velocity during the flight.
Perseverance, which conveys messages of ingenuity to mission controllers on Earth, will move to Van Zyl Overlook“A sweet spot from where the rover.” you can contemplate and inspect the 10 by 10 meter 33 by 33 foot airfield on which the craft was deposited.
WWe are constantly approaching this historic flight, in which ingenuity — firmly crossed — will become the first air vehicle to ascend to the skies of an alien world. NASA says the first flight could happen as soon as this Sunday, April 11th.
In addition to the cameras, the helicopter carries no scientific instrumentation. The Ingenuity mission is strictly understood as a demonstration of technology, as NASA envisions future missions with more sophisticated aircraft. NASA has set aside 30 suns, or Martian days, for these important tests.