In this artist’s concept, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter stands on the surface of the red planet as the Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away. Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech.
NASA has once again pushed back the flight date for the Mars helicopter, dubbed Ingenuity. According to the agency’s most recent status update, released April 12, 2021, the helicopter’s first experimental flight – originally scheduled for April 11 – will be rescheduled for next week at the earliest. Before the flight can take place, NASA must reinstall the software to fix an issue that arose when engineers tried to switch the helicopter from before the flight to flight mode. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California – the facility that manages the helicopter’s activity – is currently reviewing the updates made to the software. NASA outlined four steps the team must go through before a new flight date can be scheduled:
• Diagnose the problem and develop possible solutions
• Develop / validate and upload software
• Load flight software onto flight controllers
• Boot Ingenuity on new flight software
Additional information is available from NASA.
As for when exactly Ingenuity will take off from Mars, NASA said:
Our best estimate of an intended flight date is currently fluid, but we are working to reach these milestones and will set a flight date next week.
Ingenuity arrived on Mars on Feb. 18 along with the Perseverance rover, after making the long trek to the red planet hidden in the rover’s belly. The small helicopter has said goodbye to Perseverance and is now preparing to take to the skies in a month-long test campaign. NASA will live stream the check, which viewers can watch via NASA TV.
If Ingenuity’s flight is successful, it will be the first powered guided flight on another planet. A handful of other test flights are expected to follow over a month-long campaign aimed at demonstrating that aerial exploration is possible in the thin atmosphere of Mars. JPL wrote in a tweet posted early in the day on April 8th:
Mind-bottling, isn’t it?
The Blades of Glory, also known as the rotor blades #MarsHelicopter, are unlocked and ready to test. Next, we do a slow spin-up of the blades on the surface of Mars for the first time. https://t.co/TNCdXWcKWE pic.twitter.com/ZUTHRGFGia– NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) April 8, 2021
Ingenuity’s flight preparation process has been slow and cautious, in part because the 4-pound (1.8 kg) helicopter made the journey to Mars in a folded configuration. It was behind a protective shield in the robber’s body. But after the robber dropped that shield and drove to the airport, the helicopter personnel ordered the device to be unpacked and slowly unfolded. Perseverance then had to place Ingenuity directly on the surface of Mars and drive away so that the helicopter’s solar panels could start supporting the plane.
Unlocking and testing Ingenuity’s blades marked the last major milestones in preparation before the helicopter attempted to fly. NASA officials have said they will test the blades first at 50 and then at 2,400 revolutions per minute before the helicopter tries to fly.
If Ingenuity is successful, future missions to the red planet could usually include helicopters, which could serve as scouts for robbers and collect data themselves, NASA officials have said. Ingenuity will not collect data, as the small rotorcraft does not carry scientific instruments. But it documents its flights with a high-resolution camera. And persistence will watch too, from a safe distance. There’s even a chance that the rover could record audio from Ingenuity’s flights using the two built-in microphones, NASA officials said.
Meanwhile, while Ingenuity prepares for flight, Perseverance looks at its surroundings and sends back images. Among other activities, the car-sized rover has taken photos of its own tire tracks and advanced scientific arm.
A beautiful new photo mosaic (below) shows NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. Community scientist Seán Doran created it by stitching together 62 photos taken by the rover. Doran posted through his Twitter account, @BuienRadarNLHe said he first went through a “noise, repair, and upscaling” process for the composite images before combining them — a process he calls “laborious.” The payout can be seen below.
Until we meet again@NASAPersevere pic.twitter.com/1daQFZoifi
– Seán Doran (@_TheSeaning) April 7, 2021
Ingenuity also took his first color photo on April 3, shortly after being lowered into the mud of Mars by the Perseverance rover. The image shows the bottom of Mars’ 45 km wide Jezero crater and a portion of two wheels from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Doran told Space.com:
Focusing on the connection between Percy and Ginny was obvious for this composition. It’s very exciting to see new photos from another planet, but this one is very special and I expect the technology demo to be a great success.
This low-resolution view of the floor of Mars’s Jezero crater and part of the two wheels of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover was captured by the agency’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter on April 3, 2021. It is the first color photograph taken by Ingenuity on the surface of Mars. Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech.
After Ingenuity’s work is completed, Perseverance begins with the main objectives of its own scientific mission. The six-wheeled robot will search for signs of ancient Mars life, and collect and store dozens of samples for future return to Earth.
It is not without reason that NASA chose Jezero Crater as the landing site for the Perseverance rover. Scientists believe the area was once flooded and was home to an ancient water river delta more than 3.5 billion years ago. River channels flowed over the crater wall creating a lake with clay minerals from the area. Microbial life could have lived in the crater during one or more of these wet periods, and if so, signs of their remains may be found in bottom or coastal sediments. Scientists will study how the region formed and evolved, look for signs of past life, and collect samples of Mars rock and soil that could preserve these signs.
In short, the need for a software update has delayed the maiden flight of Ingenuity, a helicopter set to explore Mars. On April 12, 2021, NASA said Ingenuity could fly next week, and when it does, it will be the first powered guided flight on another planet. NASA will stream the event live.
Read more from EarthSky: Touchdown! Perseverance lands successfully on Mars
Via Space.com
