The 12th flight of the Ingenuity helicopter to Mars was completed. It acted as a scout and looked for dangers ahead of its partner in crime, Perseverance.
The autonomous 4-pound rotocraft reached a height of almost 10 meters (33.3 ft) and covered a distance of 450 meters (1.476 ft), in just 169 seconds. It flew over the South Seitah region on Mars, which Perseverance will explore.
JPL tweeted that there were twelve copies for the books. We were taken to the South Seitah geological wonder by the Mars helicopters' latest flight.
Ingenuity (aka Ingenuity) captured images during aerial scouting that engineers and scientists hope will help them determine which boulders, rocky outcrops, and other geologic features are worthy of further examination by the Rover.
Look at the map below to see where they are. @NASAPersevere, with its AutoNav capability now enabled, is moving quickly northwest across the southern Ridge of Stah (white trail) and will soon meet Ingenuity. https://t.co/9U7jRYpWBC pic.twitter.com/4WTnTnPrHZ NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 17, 2021
The science team stated in a blog that this flight was risky and ambitious.
The Ingenuitys navigation system was created to support short technology demonstration flights over nearly flat terrain. Any deviations from this assumption could lead to errors that can cause temporary roll and pitch (tilting back-and-forth in an oscillating pattern) and long-term errors in the helicopter's position knowledge, the team explained.
Image of Ingenuity helicopter taken by Perseverance rovers MastCamZ on June 15, 2021. Credit to NASA/JPL/
They chose to take the risk because of the high rewards.
They said that knowing that we can help the Perseverance Team with science planning through providing unique aerial footage was enough to motivate them.
Flight 12 was similar in appearance to Flight 10. Ingenuity took about 10 photos while searching for Raised Ridges, a surface feature that Ingenuity had seen. These ridges are part of a fracture system that often serves as pathways for fluid to flow underground. This is something the rover crew wants to see. The rover team is careful to avoid the dangerous sand dunes, which could cause a rover to become stuck.
Ingenuity acts as a scout looking out for dangers.
Ingenuity performed a 5-meter sidestep maneuver to take side-by-side photos of the terrain. This was done in order to allow the team to create stereo (3D) images. Ingenuity then reversed its course, returning to the exact same spot it had taken off from.
I am heading towards some layers of rocks I saw from afar a few weeks back. I can already see the landscape changing around me. It will be fascinating to see what clues the next spot has.
Track my location: https://t.co/uPsKFhW17J pic.twitter.com/MBk5lROLR6 NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) August 13, 2021
Perseverance is moving northward across the southern Ridge of Seitah. It is expected to meet with Ingenuity within the next few days.
Mars was first visited by Perseverance, Ingenuity and Perseverance in February. Ginny flew her first flight in April 19th, climbing to about 10 feet and then turning to descend to the surface of Mars. Ingenuity has flown more than 20 minutes and covered more than 1.2 nautical mile since then. During her third flight she flew more than her expected total mission distance and her flight time was extended to 4 hours.
You can keep an eye on Ingenuity here, and Perseverance at this site.
