Science & Health

NASA Expands Plans For Helicopter On Mars : NPR

By ELENA MOORE, May 1, 20216:47 PM ET

In this image taken by the Mars Perseverance rover and made available by NASA, the Mars Ingenuity helicopter, right, flies over the surface of the planet on Friday.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS via AP

NASA is allotting additional time to test the operational capabilities of its groundbreaking Ingenuity helicopter, which completed its first powered flight on Mars less than two weeks ago.

Since then, the device has completed a total of four flights. If all goes well following its fifth voyage, NASA says it plans to jump start the “next phase” of tests.

“The Ingenuity technology demonstration has been a resounding success,” associate administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement Friday.

Source: NASA Expands Plans For Helicopter On Mars : NPR