{"id":3934,"date":"2021-03-24T13:46:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T13:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1344053"},"modified":"2021-03-24T13:46:39","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T13:46:39","slug":"nasa-unveils-plans-for-first-ever-flight-on-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=3934","title":{"rendered":"NASA unveils plans for first-ever flight on Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover landed on Mars last month, it didn\u2019t arrive alone.<\/p>\n

Tucked under the belly of the buggy, a helicopter named Ingenuity had hitched a ride to the red planet. Its mission: to complete the first powered flight on another world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>Ingenuity was stowed under a debris shield on the bottom of Perseverance until it was released on March 21.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Immediately after landing, NASA began searching for an airfield for the chopper. The area needed to be flat, lacking obstacles, and situated within a larger flight zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Officials back on Earth scoured images from satellites and photos taken by Perseverance for a suitable spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe began to realize that we might just have a really great airfield right in front of our noses,\u201d said H\u00e5vard Grip, Ingenuity\u2019s chief pilot, at a press conference<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

They pinpointed a 10 by 10-meter area just north of where Perseverance landed in the Jezero Crater, which scientists believe was once flooded with water and home to an ancient river delta.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>The location where Perseverance will observe Ingenuity flight was named after NASA engineer Jacob van Zyl, who died about a month after the rover\u2019s launch.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once the rover started driving, the team began gathering more images from its navigation cameras to measure every rock and pebble on the terrain.<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also been forecasting the weather on Mars to predict when Ingenuity can safely take-off.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Read: Mars rover captures mysterious \u2018scratching noise\u2019 during drive across the red planet<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

They estimate that the first flight will take place no earlier than April 8, although that could move a few days in either direction. The helicopter will get a total of 30 Martian days (31 Earth days) for its test flight campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the first flight, Ingenuity will climb to an altitude of three meters, hover for about 30 seconds, make a turn, and then descend back to the surface. If that trip is successful, the team will attempt further voyages of greater distances and altitudes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>This image taken by Perseverance shows where the rover will deploy the helicopter (the innermost green box), the airfield (the next largest green box), and the boundaries of the flight zone (the outermost green lines).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The helicopter can snap about 30 photos per second. The images will be analyzed alongside sensor measurements to make tiny adjustments that keep Ingenuity on its trajectory and safe from disturbances such as winds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video and photos will be taken every step of the way, but it will take a while for them to get back to Earth. NASA expects to have the first images within a couple of days of the first flight. <\/span><\/p>\n