Ingenuity was taken to the Red Planet strapped to the stubborn belly of the Perseverance rover (seen in the background). Resourcefulness, an innovation experiment, was the first airplane to try regulated flight on another world.
Compared to some of the other flights this previous year, Ingenuity Mars Helicopters Flight 34 may not stand apart. Wednesdays successful 18-second flight was even much shorter than Ingenuitys first flight; the Mars helicopter merely appeared to a little over 16 feet (5 meters), hovered, then landed. Despite the flights basic nature, the group is very excited since of what it suggests for the future of Ingenuity.
Over the previous couple of weeks, the operations group has been at work installing a major software update aboard the helicopter. This update supplies Ingenuity with 2 major brand-new capabilities: risk avoidance when landing and making use of digital elevation maps to assist navigate.
Established as an innovation demonstration, Ingenuity was developed to operate on Mars in flat, smooth terrain like that at Wright Brothers Field. As Ingenuity carried on to checking out Jezero Crater together with the Perseverance rover, we traveled through more challenging surface than the team had actually ever expected.
NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter obtained this image using its navigation camera. This camera is installed in the helicopters fuselage and pointed directly down to track the ground throughout flight.
In previous flights, Ingenuitys pilots required to find airfields complimentary of any rocks or other challenges that could potentially damage the automobile when landing. Using Ingenuitys downward-facing navigation cam, this software upgrade adds threat avoidance on landing. While in flight, Ingenuity will recognize the safest noticeable landing site.
Resourcefulnesss navigation software was developed to assume the lorry was flying over flat surface. When the helicopter is flying over surface like hills, this flat-ground presumption causes Ingenuitys navigation software application to believe the lorry is drifting, triggering Ingenuity to begin really veering in an attempt to counter the error.
Although Flight 34 may not look like much, it was Ingenuitys first with this software application upgrade. The team will use arise from this basic flight to start checking these brand-new capabilities, ensuring that everything works as anticipated on the surface area of Mars. The update draws out brand-new performance in Ingenuity, making it an even more capable lorry and reliable scout for Perseverance. Were all delighted to see where this update will permit us to take Ingenuitys journey next!
Composed by Joshua Anderson, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Operations Lead at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ingenuity, a technology experiment, was the first aircraft to try regulated flight on another world. Compared to some of the other flights this previous year, Ingenuity Mars Helicopters Flight 34 may not stand out. Wednesdays effective 18-second flight was even shorter than Ingenuitys very first flight; the Mars helicopter merely popped up to a little over 16 feet (5 meters), hovered, then landed. When the helicopter is flying over surface like hills, this flat-ground assumption causes Ingenuitys navigation software to think the lorry is veering, causing Ingenuity to begin actually diverting in an attempt to counter the mistake. Flight 34 may not appear like much, it was Ingenuitys very first with this software application update.