The chopper hovered above Jezero Crater for a total 39.1 seconds.
Ingenuity took this shot while hovering over the Martian surface. (Photo via NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter today became the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. After initial delays, the chopper took off at 3:34 a.m. ET (12:33 Mars time), chosen for its optimal energy and flight conditions. Early data suggests Ingenuity reached its expected maximum altitude of 10 feet, maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds, and touched down again after a total 39.1 seconds of flight. The team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is awaiting additional details. “Ingenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects achieving a space exploration goal once thought impossible,” acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement. “We don’t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today’s results indicate the sky—at least on Mars—may not be the limit.” The autonomous demonstration was piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by JPL.
