May 3, 2021
Cosmos Editorial
This week on Mars, Ingenuity took its third ever flight. It is already tricky to fly a helicopter on Mars, because it has a different atmosphere and gravity than Earth.
Ingenuity rose to a height of 5 metres and then zoomed horizontally another 50 metres. It zipped along at 2m/s, the fastest it has flown so far.
A view of Ingenuity’s third flight from Perseverance’s ‘eyes’. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.
Our little explorer did a good job, though, and might be able to go even further. A panel of NASA scientists and engineers will be gathering to discuss what the next steps are for Ingenuity.
Third Flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is a Success. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech