Ingenuity is going to have to wait a couple more days to make history. The Mars-based helicopter was set for a historic flight on Sunday as the first-ever helicopter flown on the Red Planet, but now NASA has decided to delay the flight a few days. Based on data made available to those on the Perseverance mission on Saturday, NASA decided to push the mission until at least Wednesday in hopes the weather would ease up and allow Ingenuity to fly a relatively stress-free flight.
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“During a high-speed spin test of the rotors on Friday, the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a ‘watchdog’ timer expiration,” a statement released by NASA reads. “This occurred as it was trying to transition the flight computer from ‘Pre-Flight’ to ‘Flight’ mode. The helicopter is safe and healthy and communicated its full telemetry set to Earth.”
That same statement says Ingenuity will take flight “no earlier than April 14.”
“The watchdog timer oversees the command sequence and alerts the system to any potential issues,” the statement adds. “It helps the system stay safe by not proceeding if an issue is observed and worked as planned. The helicopter team is reviewing telemetry to diagnose and understand the issue. Following that, they will reschedule the full-speed test.”
Ingenuity was sent to Mars as a part of NASA’s ongoing Perseverance mission, exploring the planet’s Jezero Crater. While there, officials hope Perseverance and its various gadgets — Ingenuity included — find any evidence whatsoever signaling the existence of microbial life.
When it comes to Ingenuity, the helicopter was set to fly around the crater for 40 seconds as its first experimental flight. During the flight, it’s expected the helo won’t fly any higher than nine feet from the surface of the Martian planet.
“This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally – when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks,” acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a press release after the Perseverance rover first landed. “The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission embodies our nation’s spirit of persevering even in the most challenging of situations, inspiring, and advancing science and exploration. The mission itself personifies the human ideal of persevering toward the future and will help us prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet in the 2030s.”
