The ultra-light aircraft was dropped on the surface on
Saturday after detaching from the belly of the Perseverance rover, which
touched down on the Red Planet on February 18.
Detached from the Perseverance, Ingenuity had to rely on its
own solar-powered battery to run a vital heater to protect its unshielded
electrical components from freezing and cracking during the bitter Martian
night, where temperatures can plunge as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit
(minus 90 degrees Celsius).
Making it through the frigid Martian night was "a major
milestone for the small rotorcraft," NASA said in a statement Monday.
"This is the first time that Ingenuity has been on its
own on the surface of Mars," said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"But we now have confirmation that we have the right
insulation, the right heaters, and enough energy in its battery to survive the
cold night, which is a big win for the team. We're excited to continue to
prepare Ingenuity for its first flight test."
Over the coming days, Ingenuity will undergo tests of its
rotor blades and motors.
If all goes well, Ingenuity is expected to make its first
flight attempt no earlier than the evening of April 11, the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory said.
It will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled
flight on another planet.
Tribute to Wright brothers
Ingenuity is carrying a small piece of cloth that covered
one of the wings of the Wright brothers' first aircraft which achieved the
first powered flight on Earth at Kitty Hawk in 1903, to pay tribute to the
milestone.
Its attempt will also coincide with the 60th anniversary of
the first human space flight, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12,
1961, and 40th anniversary of the April 12, 1981 launch of the first space
shuttle, Columbia.
Ingenuity will be attempting to fly in an atmosphere that is
one percent the density of Earth's, which makes achieving lift harder -- but
will be assisted by gravity that is one-third of our planet's.
The first flight will involve climbing at a rate of about
three feet (one meter) per second to a height of 10 feet (three meters),
hovering there for 30 seconds, then descending back to the surface.
Ingenuity will be taking high-resolution photography as it
flies from its "airfield" in the Jezero Crater.
A series of flights are planned over its mission lasting 30
Martian sols (31 Earth days).
"Our 30-sol test schedule is frontloaded with exciting
milestones," said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity deputy operations lead.
"Whatever the future holds, we will acquire all the
flight data we can within that timeframe."
The four-pound (1.8-kilogram) rotorcraft cost NASA around
$85 million to develop and is considered a proof of concept that could
revolutionize space exploration.
Future aircraft could cover ground much quicker than rovers, and explore more rugged terrain.
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