NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity to keep flying through September (at least)

The flying days have been extended once again.

The miniature Mars chopper can continue flying until at least September, according to NASA. Ingenuity will get some special upgrades that will allow it to do even more daring flights in support of the Perseverance rover mission that landed with it in February 2021.

When this all started, I thought we would be lucky to have three entries and five. The chief pilot of Ingenuity said in a statement that he was going to need a second log book.

The Ingenuity helicopter is still on Mars a year later.

When Ingenuity made its first tentative hop on April 19, 2021, it was hailed as the first interplanetary flight and as proof that it was possible to fly an aircraft in the thin Martian atmosphere. The real-life Martian flight sealed the deal after wind tunnel tests and modeling suggested it was possible.

The first experimental flight lasted just 39.1 seconds, and in the months since, Ingenuity has proven itself far beyond the initial plan that saw the craft making five flights. As of last week, Ingenuity has flown for a total of 38 minutes and traveled 1.9 miles.

Ingenuity will help Perseverance explore the remains of the river delta inside the Jezero Crater, where scientists hope to find signs of ancient life. To get there, Ingenuity will need to complete a complex flight plan.

Teddy Tzanetos, lead of the Ingenuity team at JPL, said that the team has continued to adapt to support the helicopter mission. Tzanetos said team members are making upgrades to their flight software to improve operational flexibility and flight safety.

The statement said that a new software update could result inIncremental increases in both air speed and range on future flights. Ingenuity will be able to adjust its windspeed or position relative to the terrain.

JPL noted that future software upgrades may include adding terrain elevation maps into the navigation filter. The Jezero delta features cliffs, boulders, sand traps and other obstacles, so these dynamic flight features may be necessary to continue Ingenuity's track record of success.

The 22nd flight of Ingenuity is expected to take place no later than March 19 and will include a mid-air turn to maneuver around a large hill. JPL stated that at least two or three more flights will be needed.

Engineers will be able to choose which dry river channel to use to direct Perseverance operations after Ingenuity touches down.

JPL stated that the chopper may be tasked with observing geologic features that Perseverance cannot reach on the ground. It might be possible to find landing zones and caching areas for a future sample-return mission.

Perseverance wants to collect samples of Martian material for future study back on Earth. The hope is that a joint NASA-European Space Agency mission will return the cache to Earth as soon as 2031.

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