NASA’s Ingenuity rover on Mars continues to add to its successes. The first flying vehicle we’ve sent to another planet, this incredible machine has exceeded expectations so far. For 18 months, he became a full-fledged research companion for Perseverance and broke another record in this process by completing his 35th flight.
This flight was short, moving only 15 meters. But during its 52-second flight, Ingenuity reached 14 meters above the Martian surface. The purpose of this flight was simply to reposition the helicopter, but the team also managed to set a new record with it: the record for the highest-reaching Mars flight.
The previous altitude record was 12 metres, reached three times in 2021, the first during the 10th flight in July and the last as part of the 15th flight on 6 November 2021. Since then, most flights have stayed at around 10 meters, although occasionally dropping to slightly lower altitudes.
Since the Martian atmosphere is only about 1 percent denser than Earth’s, these flights are actually not easy, no matter how easy Ingenuity makes this process. The helicopter will continue to fly for as long as it can, providing a bird’s-eye view to help scientists guide Perseverance to the most intriguing targets.
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