Ingenuity, NASA's Mars helicopter, has flown successfully for the 22nd time on the Red Planet.
According to a Monday (Mar. 21) tweet from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity stayed aloft for 101.4 seconds and reached a maximum altitude of 33 feet (10 meters) during the mission, which took place on Sunday (March 20).
Mission team members said Perseverance's handlers are currently driving the rover toward an accessible region of the ancient delta, and Ingenuity's observations are assisting them in choosing the optimal route.
Each flight on Mars is a huge miracle. The first flight of the chopper demonstrated its capability. The next flights put it to the test. The most recent flights have been in support of its companion rover, Perseverance.
The current mission objective is to reach the Jezero river delta in order to assist the Perseverance rover with path planning and scientific discoveries.
Originally chosen for its lack of rocks, the area is now so devoid of them that warnings were issued during Flight 18's landing due to insufficient features to follow in visual navigation. As a result, fault protection parameters will be tweaked to limit the possibility of a mid-ascent landing.
NASA's Perseverance rover landed alongside Ingenuity on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. Despite Mars' thin atmosphere, the small rotorcraft accomplished five technology demonstration flights in a short amount of time, suggesting that aerial exploration is possible on the planet. During a long trip, team members are pushing their limits and scouting Jezero terrain for the life-hunting, sample-caching Perseverance.
Billions of years ago, Jezero was home to a vast lake and a river delta. The crew of the Perseverance is eager to investigate the ruins of that delta, which may contain evidence of Martian life, if any ever existed. If all goes as planned, Ingenuity will help the rover get there.
Ingenuity and Perseverance have proven to be an outstanding match since their arrival on Mars in early 2021. The new year will be filled with adventure and scientific inquiry as the rover continues to roll and collect rock samples while the chopper serves as a scout from the air.
According to a flight log kept by the mission crew, Ingenuity flew a total of 15,247 feet (4,647 m) and stayed in the air for approximately 39 minutes throughout its first 21 trips.
Beyond the increases supplied by Sunday's trip, those numbers should continue to grow; Ingenuity is in good health, according to JPL officials, and NASA recently extended the helicopter's operations through at least September.
