NASA has rescheduled the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars helicopter until April 19 at 3:30 AM ET, the agency announced on Saturday.
The four-kilogram helicopter that landed on Mars on February 18 with its parent rover Perseverance saw its first flight delayed several times. It touched the surface of Mars on April 4 and was tested and verified. He survived his first night alone on the frozen surface of Mars, passing a first test of his independence from perseverance.
The spacecraft was scheduled to take flight on April 11, but last weekend NASA said data from a high-speed rotor test showed that the test sequence ended early as the Ingenuity computer tried to switch from pre-flight to flight mode The date was pushed again after Ingeniousness experienced a minor software problem.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers decided to modify and reinstall the Ingenuity flight control software, a process that lasted several days. GODMOTHER wrote on Twitter on Friday night that the ingenuity had completed a maximum speed rotation test and a decision had been made as to the next flight date. The small helicopter waited on the surface of Mars’ Jezero crater, while NASA engineers tested and reinstalled the flight software.
While ingenuity is not the main goal of Mars’ Perseverance mission – which is to look for signs of life and take dirt samples – the small helicopter could provide a leap forward in human exploration of Mars and other celestial bodies. Rovers like Perseverance can only move so far and have no details about what might be in front of them. But a small boat like the Ingenuity can become like a scout, flying forward to help the rover navigate the surface of Mars and reach areas that other vehicles may not be able to reach.
Once it takes off, the ingenuity will climb about 3 meters, then move for 30 seconds before returning to the air and descending back to the surface. The camera on the bottom will take 30 shots per second from the ground. A larger camera will face the horizon and take pictures during the flight, and at the same time, the Perseverance cameras will take pictures of ingenuity flying.
If you’re ready for an early Monday morning (or late at night, depending on where you are), you can watch the live stream of the Ingenuity flight starting at 6:15 AM ET / 3:15 AM PT, on NASA Television, website agency, and social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.