Ingenuity only weighs about 4 lbs. (1.8 kilograms) and has two counter-rotating blades that measure 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. The blades are designed to spin at a rate of about 2,400 revolutions per minute. To test the helicopter, NASA simulated the Martian atmosphere, as closely as possible in a testing chamber at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.
For robotic missions, helicopters could scout the Martian terrain and help plan driving routes for the Perseverance rover. With that same aerial view, rotorcraft could also be used to study the planet’s geology from a different perspective, and they could even help astronauts explore Mars someday, according to NASA.
“This Mars helicopter Ingenuity could lead to the opening up of a whole new way to explore space” and to take “exploration missions to the aerial dimension,” Aung said.
Vaneeza Rupani, a highschool student from Northport, Alabama, submitted the name Ingenuity for the Mars 2020 rover. NASA officials appreciated the submission, given how much creative thinking the team employed to get the mission off the ground.
