Today, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Ranking Member Frank Lucas applauded the successful powered, controlled flight of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter–the first-ever of its type on another planet:
“I want to congratulate the groundbreaking teams from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and everyone involved for the success of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first flight. It’s truly inspiring to watch years of hard work by scientists working right here in the United States pay off. Ingenuity’s success represents decades of investment in basic research and our scientific workforce. Now we have to keep the momentum going, because maintaining our lead in space is essential to keeping our edge in science and technology and protecting our national security. Just like Neil Armstrong’s first small step, Ingenuity’s first short flight is a promising sign of what’s to come for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars, and an important reminder of the commitment necessary to remain the global leader in science and technology.”
