The rover captured a video of a helicopter on Mars, and the images provide the “most detailed view” of the plane in action.

Posted:

November 20, 2021 11:19 GMT

This is the thirteenth flight of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which took place on September 4.

NASA partner Images taken by Rover Perseverance, showing the 13th flight of the Ingenity Mars helicopter carried out on September 4, which provide “The most detailed presentation so far” of aircraft in action.

The agency indicates that the trip continued 160.5 seconds It is considered one of the most complex, because it “included flying over diverse terrain within the geological feature of control and photographing the outcrop from multiple angles for the probe team.” The helicopter, which weighs just 1.8 kg, was recorded by the Mastcam-Z navigator camera and can be seen in two videos. One highlights the majority of the flight profile, while the other provides a close-up of take-off and landing.

“The value of Mastcam-Z really shines through in these videos,” said Justin Mackie, deputy principal investigator for the Mastcam-Z instrument at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. “Even 300 meters away, we have arrived Fantastic close-up of take-off and landing Through the “right eye” of Mastcam-Z. And although the helicopter is nothing more than a point in the wide view taken through the “left eye”, it gives viewers Good idea of ​​the size of the environment That creativity is exploration,” stressed the scientist.

The recordings also show how Ingenuity maintains altitude in flight, revealing that after its initial ascent to 8 metres, it can detect a change in terrain altitude and automatically adjust its flight. During the course of the helicopter I collected ten pictures “From a rocky outcrop with a color camera before returning to the frame and landing again at the target location,” the NASA statement said.

The agency also commented that the images obtained by the helicopter in September complement those collected during Flight 12, “providing valuable information for persistence scientists and roving scout drivers.” Ingenuity is currently preparing for its 16th flight soon.

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