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.
