As well as the lower gravity, the helicopter faces the challenge of flying in the Martian atmosphere, which is about 100 times thinner than Earth’s.
As it is a technology demonstration, the helicopter does not have any scientific instruments on board.
Ingenuity will attempt additional experimental flights, which will involve travelling further distances and increasing altitudes.
All together the helicopter will aim for up to five test flights within a 30 Martian-day (31 Earth-day) demonstration window.
It is designed to be mostly autonomous, so Nasa will not be able to control the helicopter remotely.
This is because of the distance between Earth and Mars – it takes more than 11 minutes to get a radio signal back to Earth.
Nasa s Mars helicopter completes first ever controlled flight on another planet
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NASA s Ingenuity helicopter makes first historic flight on Mars
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Nasa’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter takes flight on Red Planet
The first test flight of NASA Ingenuity Mars helicopter has successfully completed. It becomes the first ever aircraft to achieve powered flight on another planet.
Telemetry analysis reports the craft as having performed: spin up, take off, flying, hovver, descent, landing, touch down and spin down.
You can hear ground control, in the video below, celebrate the news: “Altimeter data confirms that Ingenuity has performed its first flight – the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet.” Ingenuity reached a height of 10 metres in what was a 40 second flight.