NASA already has some good news to share about their Mars Ingenuity helicopter, the high-risk, high-reward experiment set for a date with the red planet. Ingenuity was launched as part of the Mars 2020 mission in July.
The little helicopter that is currently flying through space is in the belly of the Endurance Roveris alive and well. NASA announced Thursday that it successfully charged the helicopter in space on Aug. 7.
"This is the first time the helicopter has been turned on and its batteries charged in space," the agency said.
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There are many unknowns about Ingenuity. Will it survive the hard journey to Mars? Once persistence throws them on the surface of the planet, will its systems work as intended? Will it fly?
The helicopter's first health check-up is a good sign. "We still have a lot to do before we can conduct the first experimental flight test on another planet, but at the moment we are all feeling very good about the future," said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at JPL.
NASA Perseverance Rover ready to explore the wilderness of Mars
It took eight hours to turn on and charge, and the Ingenuity team charged the lithium-ion batteries to 35%. The team will repeat the activity every few weeks. That means Ingenuity can look forward to many top-ups. Endurance is not expected to reach Mars until February 2021.
If Ingenuity is a success it could help open the sky on other worlds.
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