Watch NASA’s Mars Helicopter Complete a Record Flight

NASA agency ingenuity helicopter It’s still pushing the boundaries long after its first launch from Mars. as such cnet Notesthe space agency has subscriber Video of Ingenuity’s 25th flight on April 8th, when it broke both duration and speed records. The robotic helicopter, hovering at 12 mph for more than 2 minutes 41 seconds, provided footage of the Red Planet’s undulating sands and rock fields as part of the 2,310-foot flight. The footage you see below has been sped up to reduce your viewing time to 35 seconds.

The video doesn’t include the beginning and end of the journey, but for good reason. The navigation camera turns off when Ingenuity is within three feet of the surface of Mars to prevent dust from interfering with the navigation system. The independent pilot receives flight plans from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but uses a combination of a camera, a laser rangefinder and an inertial measurement unit to adapt to real-life conditions.

Since then, creativity has flown three times. It is currently preparing for its 29th flight after a brief panic in early May, when the mission team lost contact after the helicopter switched to a low-power state. It’s not easy to deter NASA, then – expect the plane to continue flying for some time to come.