Ingenuity keeps breaking records as it prepares for the next phase of its mission
SalonIngenuity, the 4-pound helicopter that hitched a ride to Mars on Perseverance, continues to impress us here on Earth. "We designed Ingenuity for a baseline mission, which was looking at five flights up to 90 seconds each," said Ben Pipenberg, engineering lead on the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Program and AeroVironment senior aeromechanical engineer. "The Ingenuity technology demonstration has been a resounding success," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in a press statement. "Since Ingenuity remains in excellent health, we plan to use it to benefit future aerial platforms while prioritizing and moving forward with the Perseverance rover team's near-term science goals." But Ingenuity, Pipenberg said, will be "pushed a little bit more" in terms of the boundaries of the little helicopter's capabilities.