The small device took a picture during its 45th flight to the Red Planet.
NASA Ingenuity helicoptermade his 45th flight to Mars, during which he flew approximately 0.5 kilometers. In addition, he took an amazing photo of the sunrise on the Red Planet, reports Space.com.
As the publication notes, the helicopter continues to fly around the Lake crater. He has already flown several times more than the mission specialists planned. The small helicopter arrived on Mars in February 2021 together with its “friend”, the Perseverance rover. And a few months later, in April 2021, he made his first flight.
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Initially, Ingenuity was supposed to simply demonstrate the possibility of flying in the thin Martian atmosphere. But specialists extended his mission, now he is helping the rover to study the crater in search of traces of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The helicopter made the 45th and 46th flights with a difference of three days, and the new one, the 47th flight, can be made in any day. Due to the distance between Mars and the Earth, communication with the device can be delayed from five to 20 minutes, depending on the position of the planets. Therefore, the helicopter is designed so that it can take off, fly and land independently.
The mission team on Earth programs the flight, and then waits for confirmation that it was successful. The cameras on board Ingenuity take pictures that help determine the next actions for the helicopter and the rover.
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Previously the Perseverance roverwith the help of its robotic arm took “selfies” on the Red Planet, on which also hit Ingenuity. At the time of the picture, the rover was four meters away from the helicopter.
