The ingenious helicopter, folded and docked with the Perseverance rover, on Mars. Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech.
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (GODMOTHER, by its acronymS in English: National Aeronautics and Space Administration) revealed the first image of his helicopter Ingenuity on Mars, which will become the first to fly on that planet.
Carried by rover Perseverance, by giving up the cover, thus began the process of releasing the device. In this regard, the account of this mission on Twitter announced the important step: “The debris shield is gone and here’s our first look at the helicopter,” the mission’s official Twitter account posted Perseverance this Sunday. And he said that “it’s stored sideways, folded and locked in place, so you have to do some reverse origami,” before hitting the ground.
A NASA video details the process Ingenuity: from the fall of the lid, it will then reposition itself and is followed by the extension of all its legs before being released.
The weight on Mars of this plane is about 680 grams, which on Earth reached 1.8 kilograms. Meanwhile, the height is 49 centimeters.
Six lithium-ion batteries, charged by a solar network installed above the rotor, propels the helicopter. He also has two rooms: one in black and white for navigation, and another in color concentrated on the ground.
What will be the duration of the test flight schedule? According to the plan, it must pass for 30 Martian days, ie 31 on our planet.
(With information from RT in Spanish)