NASA flies helicopter and generates oxygen on Mars: 10 top stories of the week 23 Apr 2021 Professional Engineering The Ingenuity helicopter (left) flew above Mars for the first time, while the Perseverance rover generated oxygen using its Moxie instrument (Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS) NASA makes history with helicopter flight on Mars The NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history on Monday (19 April) as it took off from the surface and hovered for 40s, fighting against the low atmospheric density with two 1.2m-diameter rotors spinning at more than 2,500rpm. The small, solar-powered rotorcraft has since flown again, climbing higher and moving sideways in a 51.9s flight. The technology demonstrator could be the basis for heavier drones carrying scientific payloads on Mars.