France 24
Ingenuity, the NASA helicopter, flew to Mars
NASA took off on Monday a small helicopter from the surface of Mars proving to the world that another exploration of the universe is possible, announced the US space agency. The NASA helicopter, dubbed “Ingenuity”, made a short historic flight to Mars, the US space agency announced on Monday (April 19). “The altimeter data confirms that Ingenuity made the first flight of a motorized craft on another planet, “said an engineer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to applause and cries of joy. A real challenge given the density of the Martian air A short video of the flight, taken by the rover Perseverance on board which Ingenuity arrived on the Red Planet before landing, was broadcast in the wake of the announcement. We see the craft hovering about three meters above sea level then landing on the surface of Mars. The helicopter itself sent a black and white photo, showing its shadow on the red planet. “We can now say that humans flew a motorized craft to another planet!” Enthusiastically MiMi Aung , project manager of the helicopter.Originally scheduled for April 11, the flight was delayed due to a technical problem that arose during the testing of its rotors.The operation was a real challenge, as the Martian air is d ‘a density equivalent to only 1% of that of the Earth’s atmosphere. However, it is by pushing the air while turning that the propellers can lift weight. With AFP
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