The 1.8 km Ingenuity (Ingenuity) was assigned to fly 133 meters south and, among other things, to take pictures of potential new landing sites. This will be the final destination for the next trip on the red planet, because the air pressure is very low just above the surface.
NASA has now decided not to stop on those five flights to Mars. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, Ingenuity’s mission has been extended for an additional 30 days. “After that period, we’ll see how it goes,” spokeswoman Laurie Glees said at a news conference. “There is a chance we will last longer.”
For Mars helicopters that have ever been transported by NASA, conditions on Mars are very extreme. The rotor must cause more than 2,500 revolutions per minute through the cleared atmosphere, roughly 1 percent of that on Earth, to rise from the ground. In addition, solar energy is reduced and batteries experience low temperatures at night, as mercury can drop to minus 90 degrees.
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Lunch update
Daily most important news updates at lunch.