Early this morning, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter succeeded in the first powered, controlled flight on another planet and demonstrated that rotorcraft flight is possible in the thin Martian atmosphere. During Ingenuity’s 39.1 seconds of flight, the Perseverance Rover assisted in communicating data from Ingenuity between Mars and Earth. The rover also captured several images of Ingenuity during its flight. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter landed on Mars in February, attached to the Perseverance Rover.
“Ingenuity’s successful flight is a historic achievement for aeronautics,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “Over a century ago, the Wright Brothers changed the course of history with their first powered flights at Kitty Hawk. Today, Ingenuity has taken America’s innovation in flight to new heights, this time millions of miles away on Mars. The success of this technology demonstration opens a new door to previously unimagined planetary exploration and discovery that is sure to capture the imaginations of the next generation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I would like to congratulate NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and all the dedicated scientists and engineers who have worked over the past six years to engineer a spacecraft capable of flying in a Martian atmosphere.”
“The first successful Ingenuity flight on Mars is a historic moment in aviation and an incredible accomplishment of science and engineering by NASA and JPL,” said Chairman Don Beyer (D-VA) of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. “The continued successes of the Perseverance mission are rewarding on their own, but also they will inspire younger generations who will grow up and someday build on these achievements by taking the next steps in space exploration. This is such an exciting time for our space program.”
