A NASA space helicopter has set a new spaceflight record on Mars, achieving a 52-second flight on the surface of the Red Planet.
No helicopter or instrument to fly over the surface of the Red Planet has reached that number before, with the 4-pound, 19-inch helicopter reaching a height of 46 feet above the surface of Mars while traveling 49 feet.
That flight was preceded by 35 other flights to Mars, and it reached a peak height of only 33 feet.
Although the helicopter was sent to the Red Planet to test the use of such a machine in future interplanetary missions, the performance of the helicopter, which astronomers have dubbed Ingenuity, has been good.
NASA was so inspired by that helicopter’s performance that it used it to assist the Earth probe as it searched for evidence of ancient life on the planet.
The aircraft assists by using a downward-facing camera to search for areas of interest to explore perseverance.