Mars Helicopter Completes First One-Way Flight

by Ryan Whitwam

NASA’s Mars helicopter has started a new phase of its mission. Late last week, Ingenuity lifted off from Wright Brothers Field, but unlike all its previous flights, this fifth one didn’t end in the same place. This first one-way flight ended in another landing zone 423 feet (129 meters) to the south. This comes as NASA has extended Ingenuity’s mission into the summer, ensuring we’ll see more record-setting flights.

The fifth Ingenuity flight began at 3:26 PM EDT (12:33 PM local Mars time) and lasted a total of 108 seconds. Unlike a recent failed test, the drone completed its startup sequence before the system timed out. NASA has been hesitant to transmit updated software to fix this bug, as the robot correctly transitions to flight mode about 85 percent of the time. After lifting off, the helicopter rose to 423 feet (129 meters), its highest altitude yet.

NASA chose the new base of operations based on data gathered during the drone’s fourth flight, making this the first aerial scout operation on another planet. The team created digital elevation maps indicating that the new landing zone was completely flat with no major obstructions. This is a vital part of the helicopter’s operation as it cannot be controlled in real-time from Earth. We have to trust that the onboard hazard avoidance programming…