'The Wright Brothers' Moment'... US History's First Space Helicopter Ingenuity Nears Flight

First Flight Mission Attempt on the 19th... Flying at 3m Height for 30 Seconds
NASA: "This Moment Comparable to the Wright Brothers' First Flight"

Mars exploration helicopter Ingenuity [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] NASA's first space helicopter flight is imminent. Ingenuity, the helicopter onboard NASA's Mars rover Perseverance, which landed on the surface of Mars last February, is drawing attention as it attempts to become the first human-made aircraft to fly on another planet on the 19th.

On the 18th (local time), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced, "Ingenuity will attempt its first flight on the 19th," adding, "It will fly for 30 seconds at a height of 3 meters." Ingenuity's first flight is scheduled to begin at 4:30 PM Korean time on the 19th.

Previously, Ingenuity was planned to undertake its first flight mission on the 11th, but the flight was temporarily postponed due to an issue with the rotor speed discovered during pre-flight testing. After remote diagnostics and resolving the problem, the helicopter will attempt flight again on the 19th.

JPL's chief engineer Farah Alibay said, "We have been flying on Earth for over 100 years, and now we are attempting to fly on another planet," expressing, "This is truly a crazy thing to imagine," reflecting on the flight mission.

Mars' atmosphere is known to be only about 1% the density of Earth's atmosphere, making flight attempts extremely challenging. To address this, NASA developed Ingenuity as a helicopter with minimized weight capable of lifting off in the thin atmosphere.

Ingenuity is equipped with two cameras. One is a black-and-white camera mounted on the bottom used for ground positioning and navigation, and the other is a high-resolution camera mounted on the front to capture surrounding scenery and transmit photos back to NASA.

NASA regards this flight mission as "the Wright brothers' first flight moment," viewing it as a very important milestone in human space exploration history. To emphasize this significance, NASA attached a piece of the wing from the Wright brothers' airplane to the Ingenuity helicopter.

Harvard Grip, leading the Ingenuity flight mission, said, "If the flight on Mars succeeds, it will enable free exploration without terrain constraints," adding, "This is a significant advancement for future Mars exploration missions."