On July 24, 2021, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter successfully completed its 10th and most daring flight on the red planet — a major milestone fo

Ingenuity completes 10th flight on Mars, Perseverance starts search for life

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2021-07-28 21:00:03

On July 24, 2021, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter successfully completed its 10th and most daring flight on the red planet — a major milestone for the Ingenuity mission. The helicopter, originally expected to only perform five flights on Mars, continues to assist the Perseverance rover as hoped.

Meanwhile, Perseverance itself recently began full science operations at Jezero Crater. Rover teams are finalizing testing onboard the science platform and beginning the search for signs of life on Mars.

Ingenuity landed on Mars on February 18, 2021 attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover and protected by a debris shield. A little over a month after landing, on March 21, the debris shield was dropped by Perseverance in preparation for deployment of Ingenuity.

Perseverance placed Ingenuity onto the surface of Mars on April 3 at a location designated “Wright Brothers Field.” Ingenuity teams then began a series of tests with the helicopter to ensure it was in good shape to begin flying.