NASA released a video of the longest flight Martian helicopter Ingenuity. The device went into flight on April 8 – it rose to a height of 10 meters and overcame 704 meters at a speed of 19 km / h. The entry was published only on May 27th.
Image source: jpl.nasa.gov
Since the videos are larger than the photographs, it took the space agency a long time to send the recording via interplanetary communications, especially since the technical data from the device, which is more valuable for scientists for scientists, has priority during the connection – this explains such a big difference between the day of the flight and date of publication of his video.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the 30-second video starts about a second after the start of the flight. The car reaches its maximum speed in three seconds and continues to move in a southwesterly direction. The total flight time was 161.3 s, so the recording was sped up 5 times. And before landing, the navigation camera, in accordance with the technical requirements, was also turned off so that at an altitude of less than a meter, Martian dust would not cause navigation failures. The device is currently being restored after failure in the communication system, which, again, arose due to dust in the atmosphere. However, soon it will be ready to rise 29 times above the surface of Mars.
The small helicopter has already surpassed its originally planned five-flight life by almost six times, and in its greatly expanded mission, it is providing comprehensive support to the Perseverance rover, which continues to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Both devices made landing in Lake Jezero crater on February 18, 2021.
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