NASA’s Ingenuity mini-helicopter has been dropped by the Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars in preparation for its first flight on April 4, 2021.
- Weighing in at just 4 lbs. (1.8 kilograms), Ingenuity is a tiny, solar-powered helicopter that relies on a rechargeable battery to keep its systems warm during the harsh Martian night.
- Ingenuity will be attempting to fly in an atmosphere that is one percent the density of Earth’s, which makes achieving lift harder—but will be assisted by gravity that is one-third of our planet’s.
- The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
