Perseverance Arrival on Mars

[Yazata]

The Mars helicopter successfully flew again today.

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8928/nasas-in...ul-flight/

[Image: 8928_Mars_Perseverance_ZL0_0058_06720895...0J-web.jpg]

[Yazata]

The Mars helicopter has logged a third successful flight. This time it ascended to an altitude of about 5 meters and then flew sideways at a top speed of about 2 meters per second for about 50 meters before landing. This was a major test of its autonomous flight navigation system. While Ingenuity was tested on Earth in a vacuum chamber pumped down to Mars pressure, they couldn't test its flight control system in there. Ingenuity controls itself by using cameras that look at the ground, but there was concern that dust kicked up by the rotors might obscure things and that the processor wouldn't be able to process the camera images if the copter flew too fast. But it all seems to have worked just like it was intended.

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8930/nasas-in...rd-flight/

Photo showing Ingenuity in the distance. It's the little speck in the center framed by what looks kinda like a sand dune. (nasa photo)

[Image: 25851_1-PIA24624-web.jpg]