The New York Times reports that on Sunday, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter flew on Mars for the third time, traveling further and faster than the previous two flights. The helicopter “perfectly executed its instructions from Earth.” The helicopter “lifted 16 feet off the ground, then flew a round-trip distance of 328 feet before landing back where it started.” The distance “was about 25 times as far as the second flight flew three days ago. The helicopter reached a top speed of 4.5 miles per hour, and the flight lasted about one minute and 20 seconds.”
Full Story (New York Times)
Tag: Unlocked
Ingenuity Unlocks Rotor Blades Ahead of First Flight on Mars
SPACE reports that the NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity “has unlocked its two rotor blades as preparations continue for the vehicle’s first flight, due to occur no earlier than Sunday (April 11).” NASA’s JPL said in a tweet Thursday, “The blades of glory, aka rotor blades of the #MarsHelicopter, have been unlocked and are ready for testing. … Next, we’ll do a slow-speed spin-up of the blades for the first time on the Martian surface.” NASA officials “have said they will test the blades first at 50 and then at 2,400 revolutions per minute before the helicopter attempts to fly.”
Full Story (SPACE)