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NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has been zipping over Martian terrain since April.
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Recent journeys have taken the chopper farther south over more treacherous landscape.
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One map shows where Ingenuity has traveled. Another chart shows how far each flight has gone.
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Exploring rough Martian terrain wasn’t part of the original plan for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter.
The 4-pound chopper started out as a technology demonstration to prove that NASA could conduct a powered, controlled flight on another planet. NASA expected Ingenuity to crash on its fourth or fifth flight, but the helicopter continued to fly faster and farther than engineers thought it would.
So in May, NASA decided to extend Ingenuity’s lifespan by giving it a new mission on Mars. The helicopter is now scouting and mapping the Martian landscape, snapping color images of intriguing rock outcrops and ridges that may contain signs of ancient life, and testing operations that NASA might want to conduct with future space helicopters.
It’s also flying to new areas that have never been surveyed before.
Ingenuity’s recent flight path has taken it farther south from its original landing site, dubbed “Wright Brothers Field.” The following map shows where the helicopter has traveled during its nine flights to date.
The chart below also shows how far Ingenuity has gone in that time. Its most recent trip, flight nine, traveled the farthest distance so far: more than 2,000 feet in a single leg.
The last five flights have reached an altitude of nearly 33 feet – about 23 feet higher than Ingenuity’s first flight, and 16 feet higher than its third, fourth, and fifth flights.
Flight nine also set a record for speed: Ingenuity traveled at a pace of 11 miles per hour, compared with roughly 1 mile per hour during its slowest journey in April.
Ingenuity is traveling south over rockier terrain
All of Ingenuity’s flights have taken place in Mars’ Jezero Crater – a 28-mile-wide impact basin that was filled with water about 3.5 billion years ago. The helicopter traveled there in the belly of the Perseverance rover in February.
During its first flight in April, Ingenuity hovered in the same spot where it had landed two months prior.
Its next three flights tested the limits of how far it could fly: around 13 feet, 328 feet, and 873 feet, respectively. Each time, Ingenuity returned to its landing spot in Wright Brothers Field.
During its fifth flight, Ingenuity traveled 423 feet south toward a site called “Airfield B” that it had previously flown over, photographed, and mapped. That time, it didn’t turn back. Since then, Ingenuity has made only one-way trips to new areas.
Flight six marked the first time that Ingenuity flew to a spot it hadn’t previously surveyed: “Airfield C.” The excursion required more precise maneuvering and navigation than any of Ingenuity’s previous flights. Instead of zipping back and forth in one direction, the helicopter headed southwest, readjusted to move south, then switched directions and flew northeast – a 705-foot journey in total.
It was the helicopter’s most precarious trip to date: About 54 seconds into the flight, a glitch caused Ingenuity’s navigation system to receive incorrect information about its location. This led the helicopter to wobble in mid-air, tilting more than 20 degrees from one side to the other. Despite the hiccup, Ingenuity touched down safely within about 16 feet of its target spot.
The helicopter’s remaining flights headed even farther south – around 348 feet during its seventh trip, and 525 during its eighth trip, which veered slightly east.
Ingenuity’s ninth trip was a “nail-biter,” NASA scientists said, since the helicopter had to cross over particularly treacherous terrain on its journey southwest. (Rocky or rippled land can distort Ingenuity’s field of view, causing it to veer in the wrong direction.)
The helicopter ultimately touched down on its outskirts of its new landing spot, “Airfield F,” on July 5. It’s now stationed there, preparing for its next flight, which is scheduled for Saturday.
NASA engineers haven’t said when Ingenuity’s mission will end, but the helicopter could keep flying as long as it stays alive and doesn’t interfere with the nearby science work of the Perseverance rover.
Ingenuity may even assist with Perseverance’s search for potential fossils of ancient alien microbes. During its ninth flight, the helicopter snapped color images of “Pilot Pinnacle,” a location that may carry evidence of Jezero Crater’s deepest water environments.
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