In the next few weeks, five flights with Ingenuity await, which the NASA laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory hopes will result in unique high-resolution images from the red planet.
The mini helicopter is powered by solar energy and just like ordinary drones, the purpose of the craft is to enable photography during the flights.
The first flight attempt with Ingenuity is planned for Sunday, April 11, among other things after ensuring for a few days that solar panels and recharging of batteries work.
The flights, which are characterized by the gravitational force at the surface of Mars is one third of that of the Earth’s surface, will vary in degree of difficulty. The premiere flight is limited to lifting the mini-helicopter approximately three meters up from the surface and after half a minute lowering the helicopter again.
Crucial to the craft should work is that the batteries are charged enough to be able to drive the heating of all unprotected electrical components in the extremely low temperatures on Mars. The temperature during a March night can drop to minus 90 degrees, according to Bob Balaram, the mini helicopter’s chief engineer.
The ultra-light aircraft, which weighs 1.8 kilograms, was previously mounted on the underside of the so-called spacecraft Perserverance, which landed on Mars in February.
Perseverance is NASA’s fourth Mars car and about the size of a regular passenger car. It will roll around the crater Jezero on Mars, which billions of years ago is believed to have been filled with water.
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