A Nasa helicopter with a battery hoping to become the first vehicle to make a car flight on another planet survived its first test – an icy night on Mars.
The four-pound Ingenuity helicopter was deployed on the surface by Nasa’s Perseverance robber, who was previously at the robber’s belly.
The temperature of the evening at the Jezero crater can drop to minus 90C.
It can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components and damage the batteries on board needed for flight.
Ingenuity is the first aircraft to attempt to operate powered flights on another planet.
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MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said: ‘This is the first time Ingenuity is on the surface of Mars alone.
‘But we now have the confirmation that we have the right insulation, the right heaters and enough energy in the battery to survive the cold night, which is a big win for the team. We are excited to continue preparing Ingenuity for the first flight test. ‘
The Perseverance Rover was instructed to move away shortly after the Ingenuity deployment – so that the solar power on top of the helicopter rotors could get sunlight as soon as possible.
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Until the helicopter put its four legs on the Mars surface, Ingenuity remained at the belly of the robber and received power from Perseverance.
The rover serves as a communications relay between Ingenuity and Earth, and will use its cameras to observe the flight characteristics of the solar helicopter from Van Zyl Overlook.
The helicopter has no scientific instruments; its only mission which is a technology demonstration is to perform flight tests in the thin atmosphere of Mars.
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Within 30 March days, or sols (a Mars day is 24.6 hours), Ingenuity will apparently complete the test and begin the scientific investigation of Perseverance from the Jezero crater in high gear.
“Our 30-sol test roster is booming with exciting milestones,” said Teddy Tzanetos, deputy head of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL.
“Whatever the future holds, we will get all the flight data we can within the time frame.”
On April 4, perseverance linked the first of the helicopter photos on the surface of Mars.
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Taken by the rover’s rear left hazard camera, the image shows the helicopter’s rotor blades still stacked on top of each other (a configuration used to save space during the journey to Mars) and its four foot pads firmly in the surface of March planted. .
For the next two days, Ingenuity will gather information on how well the thermal control and power systems are performing now that the small helicopter is on its own in the Mars area.
This information will be used to refine Ingenuity’s thermal control system to survive the harsh Martian nights throughout the flight period.
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