NASA extends Ingenuity copter's mission on Mars indefinitely

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) has extended its Ingenuity helicopter's Mars mission indefinitely given its stunning and unexpected success. It was initially supposed to fly just five times. But till now, it has completed 12 flights. The helicopter is working in co-ordination with Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. Perseverance's core mission is to seek signs of ancient life on Mars.

"Everything is working so well," said Josh Ravich, the head of Ingenuity's mechanical engineering team. "We're doing better on the surface than we had expected."

Ingenuity created history on April 19 when it flew on the surface of Mars, marking first motorised flight on the surface of a planet other than Earth.

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It is very tough for a helicopter to fly in Martian atmosphere as its density is equivalent to just one per cent of that of Earth's atmosphere.

Also Read | NASA's Perseverance rover collects first rock samples on Mars

The tiny (four pound, or 1.8 kilogram) copter has had to survive the glacial cold of Martian nights, drawing warmth from the solar panels that charge its batteries during the day. And its flights are guided using an array of sensors, since the 15-minute lag in communications from Earth makes real-time guidance impossible.

However, things have been great so far

"We've actually been able to handle winds greater than we had expected," Ravich told AFP.

"I think by flight three we had actually accomplished all of our engineering goals ... (and) got all the information we had hoped to get," said Ravich, who works for NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which developed the helicopter.

Since then, Ingenuity has flown as high as 39 feet (12 meters), and its last flight lasted two minutes and 49 seconds. In all, it has covered a distance of 1.6 miles.

In May, Ingenuity flew its first one-way mission, landing outside the relatively flat "airfield" that had been carefully selected as its initial home.

But not all has gone smoothly. Its sixth flight brought some excitement.

After being knocked dangerously off-balance by a malfunction affecting the photos taken in flight to help it stabilize, the tiny craft was able to recover. It landed, safe and sound, and the problem was resolved.

Ingenuity is now being sent out to scout the way for Perseverance, using its high-resolution color camera.

The purpose is twofold: to chart a path for the rover that is safe, but also which is of scientific interest, notably in geological terms.

(With inputs from agencies)