NASA is so pleased with the progress made by Ingenuity that the latter will play extra time. And incidentally, he will go up in rank. Over the next thirty sols (Martian days), the small helicopter will help Perseverance locate sites and other interesting targets to explore. Unheard of on another planet.
He had only one goal, to successfully fly to Mars. Finally, after having proven four times that powered and controlled flight is possible on the red planet, Ingenuity will soon embark on a new demonstration phase in the service of Perseverance. This new work will also be of considerable support for the successors of the rotorcraft intended for the future exploration of Mars and other worlds.
"Ingenuity's technology demonstration was a resounding success" said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. “As the rotorcraft remains in excellent health, we plan to use it for the benefit of future aerial platforms while prioritizing and moving forward with the team's near-term science goals. Perseverance” .
So far, all rotorcraft flights have involved hovering or back and forth. During its last test, the fourth, the rotorcraft, for example, moved 133 meters in a southerly direction, before returning to land at the very place where it took off, in Wright Brothers Field.
For its fifth flight, Ingenuity will fly one way this time to land at a new site. If all goes well, the new operations will begin in about ten days, after this fifth test.
This new operational phase will only involve one-way flights, each requiring more precision maneuvers and greater use of its aerial observation capabilities. In other words, the engineers are going to take a lot more risks.
As of April 26 (sol 66), Perseverance had only traveled about ten meters south into Jezero Crater in an attempt to identify potential targets . Over the next few weeks, the rover will continue in this direction for about two kilometers, focusing on the most interesting rocky outcrops.
In support, Ingenuity will be able to carry out aerial observations of Perseverance's scientific targets, and even propose potential routes, while capturing stereo images for digital maps of elevation.
The rate of flights during this operational demonstration phase will no longer be the same. Ingenuity will no longer fly every few days, but about once every two or three weeks. All such incursions will be carefully timed to avoid interfering with Perseverance science operations.
The Ingenuity team will review this work after 30 sols and complete aerial operations no later than the end of August . The researchers will then have time to conclude the first phase of the rover's scientific activities until mid-October. During this period, Mars and Earth will be positioned on either side of the Sun (conjunction), which will block communications for a time.
Next, Perseverance will head north and then west, targeting the Jezero Crater Fossil River Delta. Ingenuity will probably be left behind, having completed all of its objectives, and more.
