NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter dropped on Mars’ surface

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter dropped on Mars’ surface

WASHINGTON: NASA's Ingenuity mini-helicopter has been dropped on the surface of Mars in preparation for its first flight, the US space agency said. The ultra-light aircraft had been fixed to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on the Red Planet on Feb 18. "MarsHelicopter touchdown confirmed!“ NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted Saturday.

"Its 293 million mile (471 million km) journey aboard @NASAPersevere ended with the final drop of 4 inches (10 cm) from the rover's belly to the surface of Mars today. Next milestone? Survive the night.“ A photograph accompanying the tweet showed Perseverance had driven clear of the helicopter and its "airfield“ after dropping to the surface. Ingenuity had been feeding off the Perseverance's power system but will now have to use its own battery to run a vital heater to protect its unshielded electrical components from freezing and cracking during the bitter Martian night.

"This heater keeps the interior at about 45 degrees F (7 degrees Celsius) through the bitter cold of the Martian night, where temperatures can drop to as low as -130F (-90 degrees Celsius),“ Bob Balaram, Mars Helicopter Project chief engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wrote in an update on Friday. "That comfortably