NASA's Ingenuity helicopter sets an altitude record on Mars
WORLD 08 December 2022 - 06:37
Ever since taking off on its historic first flight last year, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has been single-handedly raising the bar for the Red Planet’s aviation scene, and has now soared to its greatest heights yet. The latest outing for the Mars helicopter has resulted in a new altitude record, rising 46 ft (14 m) above the Martian surface.
Flying a rotorcraft like the Ingenuity helicopter on Earth would be a pretty unremarkable achievement, but the foreign flight conditions on the Red Planet make each of its jaunts a remarkable feat of science and engineering. The gravity on Mars is only a third as strong as it is on Earth, and the atmosphere is very thin, around 1% the density of our own. Compounding the issue is the fact that radio signals take more than 12 minutes to reach Mars, meaning Ingenuity has to fly without human control, New Atlas reports.
The aircraft was able to overcome these challenges to make the first ever powered flight on another planet in April last year, reaching an altitude of 10 ft (3 m) and hovering there for 30 seconds. This kicked off a 30-day test program that included its first horizontal flight, and a flight in which it exceeded the performance demonstrated in testing back home to reach an altitude of 16 ft (5 m).
With this program proving a resounding success, a one-way trip to a new home in the Jezero Crater soon followed, to assist operations of the Perseverance rover on the ground. Earlier this year, the helicopter also paid a visit to the crash site of the protective aeroshell and parachute that safely guided it and Perseverance to the surface of the Red Planet in early 2021.
Ingenuity has now taken to the skies 35 times in all, covered 7,400 m (24,300 ft) and clocked up almost 60 minutes of flight time. Never before has it reached the heights of its most recent outing, however, reaching the record 46-ft altitude during a 52-second jaunt on December 3 as part of a repositioning exercise.
NASA scientists recently installed a software update that equips Ingenuity with the ability to better avoid hazards when landing and use digital elevation maps when navigating. This will form an important part of its functionality as it continues to demonstrate how it can act as a scout for Perseverance on the ground.
Caliber.Az
1
|
Armenia returns four villages to Azerbaijan, paving the way for peace in the South Caucasus Landmark accord
23 April 2024 - 09:14
|
2
|
Armenian PM's Moscow visit sparks speculation on bilateral relations Dilemma between East, West
23 April 2024 - 11:19
|
3
|
Gulf – Central Asian partnership is on the rise Global uncertainty
22 April 2024 - 16:55
|
4
|
Bilateral relations, regional dynamics, & peacekeepers’ withdrawal Key takeaways from President Aliyev's Moscow visit
24 April 2024 - 14:07
|
5
|
Air France plane safely evacuated at Heydar Aliyev Int’l Airport
24 April 2024 - 19:08
|
EU’s 2050 net zero goals at risk as electric vehicle rollout faces setbacks
25 April 2024 - 07:03
World’s largest wealth fund issues inflation warning on hot commodity markets
real wildcard25 April 2024 - 05:04
How US F-16 fighter jets stack up to Su-35s sent to Iran?
25 April 2024 - 03:05
Belgian brewer whose body produces its own alcohol cleared of drink driving
25 April 2024 - 01:03
Milan becomes latest European hotspot to battle overtourism
No ice cream and pizza after midnight24 April 2024 - 23:00
Germany's position on Taurus remains unchanged
24 April 2024 - 20:59
German business activity increasing in April
24 April 2024 - 20:48
Baku to host space technology conf for Central Asian region
24 April 2024 - 20:45
Sweden’s plan for worst-case scenario
War spreading in Europe24 April 2024 - 20:40
President’s special rep: Karabakh can be called eco-region of Azerbaijan
24 April 2024 - 20:32
Azerbaijani energy minister holds talks with Algerian delegation on advancing bilateral cooperation
24 April 2024 - 20:28
China's Xiaomi selling more EVs than expected
raising hopes it can break even sooner24 April 2024 - 20:24
France proposes new EU sanctions to fight Russian disinformation
24 April 2024 - 20:18
European Commission disburses additional $1.6 billion in bridge financing to Ukraine
24 April 2024 - 20:16
Serb Member of Presidency of Bosnia & Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović invited to COP29
24 April 2024 - 20:12
UK to transfer Paveway IV bombs to Ukraine
PHOTO24 April 2024 - 19:59
Azerbaijani minister, Uzbek ambassador discuss defence cooperation issues
PHOTO24 April 2024 - 19:48
State reception commences to honor Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov
24 April 2024 - 19:40
MFA: Azerbaijan continues contributing to peace, security
24 April 2024 - 19:35
Kyrgyz president pays tribute to Azerbaijani martyrs
24 April 2024 - 19:30
Azerbaijani MPs, assistants to US congressmen discuss relations with Armenia, Russia
PHOTO24 April 2024 - 19:27
Kyrgyz president pays respect to Great Leader Heydar Aliyev
24 April 2024 - 19:19
Turkish president appeals to Armenian Patriarch
24 April 2024 - 19:15
Türkiye rejects “one-sided” statements on 1915 events
24 April 2024 - 19:09
Air France plane safely evacuated at Heydar Aliyev Int’l Airport
24 April 2024 - 19:08
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations receives report of incident near Djibouti
24 April 2024 - 19:03
Azerbaijani, Kyrgyz leaders unveil monument to prominent novelist
24 April 2024 - 18:55
US Central Command, Royal Jordanian Air Force conduct humanitarian airdrops into Gaza
24 April 2024 - 18:51
Iran not to surrender to West's bullying, sanctions
24 April 2024 - 18:45
ADA University rep: Kyrgyzstan to become third country participating in school construction in Karabakh
24 April 2024 - 18:36
China’s president visits Belgrade around anniversary of NATO embassy bombing
24 April 2024 - 18:22
Best way to avoid war is to “talk less, prepare more”
Finland’s president says24 April 2024 - 18:07
International experts view restoration activities in Lachin
24 April 2024 - 18:03
Jamaica recognizes State of Palestine
24 April 2024 - 17:53
"Peoples of South Caucasus should resolve their differences independently"
Foreign analysts on Caliber.Az24 April 2024 - 17:40
HAMAS holding hostage 30 high-ranking Israeli security forces members
24 April 2024 - 17:38
Top 100 fastest-growing FDI destinations
Baku ranks 3rd24 April 2024 - 17:30
Argentina asks Interpol to arrest Iranian minister over attack
24 April 2024 - 17:23
Russia urges Armenia to clarify National Assembly president’s speech
Following scandalous statements24 April 2024 - 17:19
Three signs US could be heading for recession
Expert analysis24 April 2024 - 17:08