NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Dropped Ahead of Flight

Ingenuity made it to Mars like a stowaway and folded up on the underside of NASA's Perseverance rover ahead of schedule.

By interplanetary travel standards, the short mission -- one of five scheduled for a one-month duration beginning on or around April 11 -- is a quick tour.

Officials from the space agency said Ingenuity would be a huge step forward for Mars exploration. They believe that autonomous drones like Ingenuity will be able to fly through canyons, ice caps, and other terrains that is inaccessible to rovers in the future.

Drones could be used as scouts and aerial sensors if human explorers ever set foot on Mars.

The flight is supposed to take place on April 11. Wall Street Journal said the flight should last 90 seconds without getting higher than 10 feet off the ground.

The drone is seen standing freely on the flight floor, some distance away from the rover.

'#MarsHelicopter touchdown confirmed! Its 293 million miles (471 million km) journey aboard @NASAPersevere ended with the final drop of 4 inches (10 cm) from the rover's belly to the surface of Mars today. Next milestone? Survive the night,' the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted.

#MarsHelicopter is on the flight field! https://t.co/sJofFpDnrc
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) April 4, 2021

Will Ingenuity Go Back to Mars If Everything Goes As Planned?

Last month, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Håvard Grip told Space.com that the drone would make longer flights similar to the Wright Brothers if the flight goes well.

However, the data from the first flight will be sent back to Earth first, with the data not returning until the next day, according to reports.

(Photo: NASA JPL)
Mars Helicopter touchdown confirmed! Its 293 million miles (471 million km) journey aboard NASA Perseverance Rover and ended with the final drop of 4 inches (10 cm) from the rover's belly to the surface of Mars today. Next milestone? Survive the night.

"Remaining flights during Ingenuity's 31-day window will target a maximum altitude of 16.5 feet ... with each flight ideally going farther than its predecessor down the designated 300-foot-long range,' the outlet reported.

ALSO READ: Could Sparkling Dust Particles From Martian Dust Storm Affect Mars Perseverance Rover?

The solar panels on the small, little chopper would also be used to charge it up until its big day.

According to NASA, Mars has a rarefied atmosphere of "just over 1% of the density of our atmosphere on Earth."

NASA said the small 4lb helicopter will try to stay warm 'autonomously during the frigid Martian night' -- which reaches temperatures below -130 degrees Fahrenheit -- before its first flight.

About Ingenuity's Mission

The Ingenuity mission, which is part of a wider mission to search for evidence of past existence on Mars, is the latest in a series of notable Mars events this year.

Ingenuity has been unloading itself in preparation for launch in recent days, dropping one carbon-fiber leg after another before all four struts were in place for an upright stance. It was ready to be placed on a carefully chosen Martian soil patch that will act as its temporary helipad by Friday.

NASA engineers will conduct preflight system checks for several days after the batteries have been fully charged. The Perseverance rover will withdraw to a nearby overlook to photograph the approaching flights, according to plans.

According to mission engineers, Ingenuity has already made a difference on Earth, regardless of how well it does on Mars.

NASA officials have compared Ingenuity to the Wright brothers' Flyer, which made the first managed, powered flight on Earth in 1903-a 12-second, a 120-foot journey that paved the way for airmail, commuter jets, and frequent-flier miles. Ingenuity keeps a piece of fabric from the Flyer below its solar panels as a tribute to the flight.

The space agency claimed that the Ingenuity is not meant to help the Perseverance mission, which is "looking for evidence of ancient life and gathering rock and sediment samples in tubes for eventual return to Earth by later missions."