NASA is preparing for the first helicopter flight test on Mars

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The explorer of the American space agency, Perseverance, arrived on Mars on February 18 with important equipment.

NASA’s Perseverance carried an experimental aircraft called the Ingenuity, which is due to have its first test flight this week. NASA hopes to make the helicopter the first vehicle to fly to a planet other than Earth.

NASA recently announced that ingenuity has been safely lowered to the surface of Mars from its storage space under Perseverance. The explorer, or rover, then moved away at about five meters of ingenuity. The rover and the aircraft communicate by radio.

After separating from the rover, the helicopter faced its first major test on Mars – protecting itself from the icy temperatures of the planet. Readings from Perseverance instruments in early April showed that low temperatures in the landing area, called the Jezero crater, had reached minus 83 degrees Celsius.

This illustration shows the Jezero crater - the landing site of the rover Mars 2020 Perseverance - because it seems that billions of years passed on Mars, when it was a lake. An entrance and an exit are also visible on both sides of the lake. (Image credit: NASA / JPL)

This illustration shows the Jezero crater – the landing site of the rover Mars 2020 Perseverance – because it seems that billions of years passed on Mars, when it was a lake. An entrance and an exit are also visible on both sides of the lake. (Image credit: NASA / JPL)

In a statement, NASA said that the ingenuity passed the test alone surviving its first night in extreme cold. The helicopter used its own solar system battery operate a heater to protect its electrical equipment from damage.

The space agency praised the success as “a major border stone“For the experimental aircraft.

MiMi Aung is the project leader at Ingenuity at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She said that while her team did everything they could to prepare the helicopter, the group was very excited to see the results of their work on Mars.

“It simply came to our notice then insulation, the right heaters and enough battery power to survive the cold night, which is a big win for the team, ”said Aung. “We are delighted to continue to prepare the ingenuity for his first flight test.”

In this photo of the December 17, 2019 file provided by NASA, engineers monitor a driving test for the Mars Perseverance rover in a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California (J. Krohn / NASA via AP, File)

In this photo of the December 17, 2019 file provided by NASA, engineers monitor a driving test for the Mars Perseverance rover in a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California (J. Krohn / NASA via AP, File)

The next set of tests involves aircraft engines and rotor equipment. The helicopter will be the first plane to attempt a motorized and controlled flight on another planet.

NASA compared the Ingenuity test to the first flight of a Wright Brothers plane near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. In recognition of that historic flight, a small piece of cloth covering a wing of the Wright Brothers plane was attached to the helicopter for its first flight to Mars.

The main purpose of the Perseverance rover is to look for signs of microbial life in the ancient past of the planet. The explorer is expected to collect rocks and soil materials from the surface. They will be sent to Earth by a future mission to Mars.

During its first test, Ingenuity will try to rise to about three meters. It will try to push briefly into the extremely thin atmosphere of the planet. Then the plane will try to turn around and complete a light landing.

NASA's ingenious helicopter can be seen here with all four legs unfolded before falling from the belly of the Perseverance rover on March 30, 2021, the 39th Martian day or mission ground. (Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS)

NASA’s ingenious helicopter can be seen here with all four legs unfolded before falling from the belly of the Perseverance rover on March 30, 2021, the 39th Martian day or mission ground. (Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS)

If the first flight is successful, other tests will be performed, the ingenuity trying to go a little higher and farther each time. NASA says such helicopters could help astronauts in future search and collection missions.

NASA recently released images with perseverance and ingenuity. The space agency described one of the images as a “selfie”. He pointed to the rover and helicopter perched on the rocky surface of Mars.

The rover managed to capture the selfie with his robot arm, which has a camera attached at the end. NASA said the image was made from 62 individual images that were put together once sent back to Earth.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English, based on reports from NASA, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

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Test – NASA is preparing for the first helicopter flight test on Mars

Test - NASA is preparing for the first helicopter flight test on Mars

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Words in this story

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a power supply machine

border stone – n. an important point in the progress or development of something

insulation – n. a material used to stop heat, cold, sound, or electricity from escaping or entering

rotor – n. a part of a rotating machine, in particular the device supporting the rotating blades of a helicopter

microbial – adj. related to microbes (very small living things)

mission – n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a task or a task

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