Giant flight for mankind: NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flies successfully over Mars
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A short clip sent back by Perseverance rover showed the helicopter hovering over the surface of Mars
NASA was successful in flying Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars on Monday, as per images sent back to Earth. It is a historic moment as this is a first powered flight on the Martian surface.
"Wow!"
— NASA (@NASA) April 19, 2021
The @NASAJPL team is all cheers as they receive video data from the @NASAPersevere rover of the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter flight: pic.twitter.com/8eH4H6jGKs
"Altimeter data confirms that Ingenuity has performed its first flight -- the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet," announced an engineer in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the control room cheered.
A short clip sent back by Perseverance rover showed the helicopter grounded at first, howering three meters above the surface and then touching back down.
Ingenuity itself sent back a still black-and-white image from its downward pointing camera, showing its own shadow cast on the surface.
It happened. Today our #MarsHelicopter proved that powered, controlled flight from the surface of another planet is possible. It takes a little ingenuity, perseverance, and spirit to make that opportunity a reality: https://t.co/oT3rrBm6wj pic.twitter.com/u63GKshp0G
— NASA (@NASA) April 19, 2021
"We can now say that human beings have flown a rotorcraft on another planet!" said lead engineer MiMi Aung to her team.
"We've been talking so long about our Wright brothers' moment on Mars, and here it is," she added.
The first powered flight on Earth was achieved by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
A piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity in honor of that feat.
(With inputs from agencies)