In this image made available by NASA, the Mars Ingenuity helicopter hovers above the surface of the planet during its second flight on Thursday, April 22, 2021. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS via AP)
By Marcia Dunn
NASA’s little Mars helicopter aced its second test flight Thursday, soaring even higher and longer than before.
The 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) chopper, named Ingenuity, hovered longer and also flew side to side this time, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It achieved the intended altitude of 16 feet (5 meters) and even accelerated sideways 7 feet (2 meters).
This hop lasted 52 seconds, 13 seconds longer than the first one.
“Go big or go home!” JPL tweeted in announcing the Earth Day news.
The success came just three days after Ingenuity made the first powered flight by an aircraft on another planet. The helicopter carried a bit of wing fabric from the Wright Flyer that made similar history at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
Flight controllers had to wait four hours before learning Thursday's outcome. Like it did during Monday's 10-foot-high (3-meter-high) hop, the helicopter sent back a black and white photo showing its shadow against the dusty, rock-strewn surface now known as Wright Brothers Field.
“It sounds simple, but there are many unknowns regarding how to fly a helicopter on Mars," Ingenuity’s chief pilot, Havard Grip, said from JPL in a statement. “That’s why we’re here — to make these unknowns known.”
One of the challenges is the planet’s extremely thin atmosphere — 1% that of Earth's.
NASA plans up to three more test flights in the next 1 1/2 weeks, venturing higher each time with more complicated acrobatics. Ingenuity hitched a ride to Mars on the rover Perseverance, which photographed the proceedings from more than 200 feet (64 meters) away. The rover team allotted one month for the $85 million tech demo; The clock started ticking when Ingenuity was released from Perseverance's belly on April 3.
“We have two flights of Mars under our belts, which means that there is still a lot to learn during this month of Ingenuity," chief engineer Bob Balaram said in a statement.
Perseverance and Ingenuity arrived at Mars in mid-February, landing in an ancient river delta following a 6 1/2-month flight.
Once Ingenuity's flights are complete, Perseverance will set off on its journey to find any signs of past microscopic life. A robotic geologist, the rover will collect core samples of the most enticing rocks and set them aside for pickup by a future spacecraft a decade from now.
In another first, an experiment on the rover successfully converted Mars’ carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere into pure oxygen this week. Five grams of oxygen was produced, according to NASA, the equivalent of 10 minutes of breathing for an astronaut. Large-scale production at Mars could yield oxygen not only for air, but also rocket fuel. More tests are planned over the next two years.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A deal was reached as the COP26 Summit in Glasgow came to a close. Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy and Author of 'Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World,' joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the deal.
Over the years many people have gotten into the act of living a sustainable life all in the hopes of helping to protect and save the plant. However, some argue that living in this kind of fashion is expensive and only accessible to the wealthy. Editor at Large at CNET Farnoosh Torabi, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
As we move into the colder months in the U.S., health experts are warning of a more active flu season than last year, sounding the alarm on what many are calling a 'twindemic.' Dr. Syra Madad, infectious disease epidemiologist, joined Cheddar's 'Search for the Cure' to discuss the intersection of the flu season with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UN climate summit wrapped up over the weekend after days of negotiations over the summit's final agreement. The agreement pushes countries to reassess their climate goals by the end of next year, do more for countries facing the worst effects of climate change, and also calls for a "phase down" of coal and other fossil fuel subsidies. The White House praised the agreement, but underscored the feelings of many world leaders by saying it isn't enough.
Deborah Brosnan, climate expert and president of Deborah Brosnan and Associates, joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss.
Dr. Joseph Sellers, President of the Medical Society of the State of New York and Pediatrician at Basset Medical Group, joined Cheddar News for an update on vaccinations for kids under 12 now that the rollout has officially begun.
President Biden is under some pressure from members of his own party over rising gas prices. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the president to utilize oil reserves to lower gas prices ahead of the holiday season, as gas prices are currently at a seven-year high. Energy Workforce & Technology Council CEO Leslie Beyer joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Russia is being blamed for putting the International Space Station and its crew at risk after it fired a missile during a weapons test at a non-functional satellite. NASA has said that the debris from the explosion could potentially orbit the Earth for decades.
Cases of covid-19 are climbing in the Upper Midwest, Southwest, and parts of the Northeast. The seven-day national average is sitting at roughly 82,000 new cases which is an 11 percent jump from the week before. Dr. Amesh Adalja, Infectious Disease, Specialist, Sr. Scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this recent uptick ahead of the holiday season.
Jill is joined by Baker Machado to talk all things infrastructure: where will the money go and who’s in charge? Plus, Sesame Street has its first Asian-American muppet. And a trailer for the trailer for Spiderman. Huh?
Booking.com has unveiled a first-of-its-kind sustainable travel designation for properties that might be on the itinerary of a climate-conscious traveler. CEO Glenn Fogel explained to Cheddar the key metrics a location has to achieve to earn a sustainability badge. Waste handling, energy and greenhouse gases, water usage, local community support, and protection of nature were the five top areas of concern he addressed, with an additional subset of 32 measures that properties can implement.
