The shadow of NASA’s ingenuity is seen on the surface of Mars as the helicopter hovered during its first flight on April 19, 2021.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Here’s a look at NASA’s historic flight of an aircraft to Mars, something the space agency called the “Wright Brothers moment.”
The NASA Perseverance rover captured images of the flight after traveling a short distance, with one of its navigation cameras showing a sequence before, during and after the helicopter’s flight.
The video from the NASA Perseverance rover shows the ingenuity of the helicopter spinning its rovers, gliding and then landing on Mars.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
The ingenuity, which weighs 4 kilograms, flew successfully autonomously for 39 seconds.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover captured the helicopter’s ingenuity on the surface of Mars on April 18, 2021 before its first flight.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
A camera on NASA’s Perseverance rover shows the ingenuity of the helicopter flying over the surface of Mars on April 19, 2021.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
The NASA Ingenuity helicopter returned to the surface of Mars after its first flight on April 19, 2021, captured by a camera on the Perseverance rover.
A camera on NASA’s Perseverance rover shows the ingenuity of the helicopter flying over the surface of Mars on April 19, 2021.
NASA announced after the flight that the area on the Jezero crater on Mars, where the ingenuity flew, will be known as Wright Brothers Field.
Scientists and engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California are working ingeniously during its development, a process that has been aided for years by some of the agency’s experts in rotor dynamics.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
The Perseverance Rover, with the Ingenuity helicopter visibly attached underneath, ready for launch.
NASA / JPL-Caltech