The Martian helicopter Ingenuity is performing its 21st flight

The Martian helicopter Ingenuity continues to work on all expectations, having recently completed it 21st flight. NASA’s tiny helicopter was originally designed for only five flights, but to the delight of all that it has shaken by dust storms and coped with seasonal changesand he continues to work and explore the red planet from the air.

NASA announced that the helicopter performed its last flight yesterday, Friday, March 11th. “#MarsHelicopter can’t be stopped!” NASA JPL wrote further Twitter. “Ingenuity has successfully completed its 21st flight on the Red Planet. The small helicopter passed 370 meters at a speed of 3.85 meters per second and remained at a height of 129.2 seconds.

# MarsHelicopter can’t stop! Ingenuity has successfully completed its 21st flight on the Red Planet. The small helicopter traveled 370 meters at a speed of 3.85 meters per second and remained at a height of 129.2 seconds. https://t.co/TNCdXWcKWE pic.twitter.com/rNMaodihxa

– NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) March 11, 2022

Ingenuity is currently performing a series of flights to bring it back to Perseverance. In the last few months, the helicopter has been moving away from the rover, exploring nearby sections of Jezero Crater. But now he’s back so the couple can move on Lake Delta. It is the site of an ancient river delta and is a particularly exciting area to explore. This is because millions of years ago there was warm shallow water, which is ideal for the formation of life. If life ever existed on Mars, then the delta is a great place to look for evidence of this.

In addition, the delta is convenient to explore because the river that once flowed there would carry stones from all over the region, and some of these rocks could be deposited in the delta and still there. This gives geologists the opportunity to see rock samples from across the region without a rover riding towards them. Although specimens are not ideal when removed from a geological context, it is still an interesting opportunity to see different types of rocks in one place.

Ingenuity will assist the Perseverance rover by exploring ahead and determining the routes that Perseverance can follow. This could potentially help Perseverance drive safer and faster, as obstacles can be identified and avoided in advance.

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