Ingenuity

The helicopter Ingenuity reported in on February 19. The downlink, sent to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, indicated that the helicopter and its base station were operating as expected.

By the way, in case you haven't heard, Ingenuity is a helicopter that landed on Mars February 18 with the Mars Perseverance Rover. If all upcoming tests go according to plan, we could soon have the first helicopter fiight on another planet!

I've been fascinated by Ingenuity. I imagine that after news of its first successful flight, it might feel similar to what people felt like after they learned of the Wright Brothers' successful first powered flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903.

Aviation has come a long way in the past 117 years. Who in 1903 would have believed that one day, we'd be flying a helicopter on Mars?!

If you'd like to keep up with the Mars Perseverance rover or the helicopter Ingenuity, visit nasa.gov/perseverance.

Artist rendition of Ingenuity with Mars Perseverance in the background. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech