NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for First Flight

NASA Plans First Powered, Controlled Flight of Aircraft on Another Planet with Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The 4-kilogram rotor aircraft must reach a series of milestones, both itself and its team, before making its first flight. On 21 March, the rover placed the guitar case-shaped graphite composite debris shield that protects Ingenuity during landing. Flying in a controlled manner on Mars is far more difficult than flying on Earth. The Red Planet has significant gravity (approximately one-third of Earth's), but its atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as Earth's surface atmosphere. During daytime on Mars, the planet's surface receives only half the solar energy that reaches Earth during daytime, and nighttime temperatures can drop to minus 130 Fahrenheit (minus 90 Celsius), which can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components. Lori Glaze, Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, said: "When NASA's Sojourner rover landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that exploring the Red Planet was possible and completely redefined our approach to how we would explore Mars. Aptly named, Ingenuity is a technology demonstration that aims to be the first powered flight on another world and, if successful, can further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration."