NASA’s Mars helicopter reports

Mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have received the first status report of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which landed in Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, attached to the belly of the agency’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The downlink, which arrived at 3:30 p.m. PST (6:30 p.m. EST) via a connection through the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, indicates that both the helicopter, which will remain attached to the rover for 30 to 60 days, and the base station (a control box on the rover that stores and routes communications between the rotorcraft and Earth) are working as expected.

“ There are two big items we’re looking for in the data: the state of charge of Ingenuity’s batteries and confirmation that the base station is working as designed, with the heaters being turned on and off to keep the helicopter’s electronics within the expected range. keep boundaries. range, “said Tim Canham, chief of operations of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL.” Both seem to be working great. With this positive report we will continue to recharge the helicopter batteries tomorrow. “

Ensuring that Ingenuity has enough energy on board to maintain heating and other vital functions while maintaining optimal battery health is essential to the success of the Mars helicopter. The one hour power-up will increase the rotorcraft’s batteries to approximately 30% of its total capacity. A few days after that, they are recharged to 35%, with future charging sessions scheduled weekly while the helicopter is attached to the rover. The data downloaded during tomorrow’s charging sessions will be compared with battery charging sessions on a cruise to Mars to help the team plan future charging sessions.

Like many of the 4-pound (2-kilogram) helicopters, the six lithium-ion batteries are available as standard. They are currently being charged from the rover’s power supply. Once Ingenuity is deployed on the surface of Mars, the helicopter’s batteries are charged exclusively by its own solar panel.

After Perseverance deploys Ingenuity to the surface, the helicopter will have an experimental test period of 30 Mars days (31 Earth days). If Ingenuity survives its first chilling Martian nights – where temperatures drop to minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius) – the team will proceed with the maiden flight of a plane on another world.

If Ingenuity manages to take off and soar on the first flight, more than 90% of the project goals will be achieved. If the rotorcraft lands successfully and remains operational, up to four additional flights can be attempted, each building on the success of the latter.

“We’re in uncharted territory, but this team is used to it,” said MiMi Aung, project manager for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL. “Just about every milestone from here to the end of our flight demonstration program will be a first, and every milestone must pass for us to move on to the next. We will enjoy this good news for now, but then we must get back to work . “

The next generation of helicopters, the descendants of Ingenuity, could add an aerial dimension to future exploration of the Red Planet. These advanced robotic flying vehicles would provide a unique viewpoint not afforded by current orbiters high above their heads or by rovers and landers on the ground, providing high-definition imagery and exploration for robots or humans, and access to terrain that is difficult for robbers to reach. .