NASA rescheduled the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars helicopter after April 19 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the agency announced Saturday.
The four-pound helicopter that arrived on Mars on February 18 with its parent robber Perseverance delayed its first flight several times. It touched the surface of Mars on April 4 and underwent tests and completion. It survived its first night alone on Mars’ icy surface and passed a first test of its independence of perseverance.
The plane was scheduled to fly on April 11, but NASA said last weekend that data from a high-speed rotor test showed that the test sequence ended early as Ingenuity’s computer tried to switch from pre-flight to flight mode. The date was pushed back to Ingenuity experiencing a small software bug.
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory decided to modify and reinstall Ingenuity’s flight control software, a process that took several days. NASA tweeted Friday night that Ingenuity had completed a speed test for full speed and a decision would be made on the next flight date. The small helicopter was waiting on the surface of Mars’ Jezero crater when NASA engineers tested and reinstalled the flight software.
Although ingenuity is not the main focus of Perseverance’s mission on Mars – that is, to look for signs of life and take dirt samples – the small helicopter can offer a leap forward in the human exploration of Mars and other celestial bodies. Rovers like Perseverance can move just as far and have no details on what lies ahead in their paths. But a small craft like Ingenuity can become like a scout, flying ahead to help the rover move on the surface of Mars and to reach areas that other vehicles may not be able to reach.
As soon as it takes off, Ingenuity will climb about 3 meters and then soar in its place for 30 seconds before turning in the air and descending to the surface again. The camera at the bottom takes 30 photos per second of the ground. A larger camera will face the horizon and take photos as they fly, and at the same time, Perseverance’s cameras will take photos of Ingenuity flying.
If you are early Monday morning (or late night, depending on your location) early morning, you can watch the live stream of Ingenuity’s flight from 06:15 ET / 3:15 PT, on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.