(ORDO NEWS) — The Martian helicopter “Ingenuity” made its 29th flight, which was the first in the winter season on Mars. The drone flew 179 meters in 66.6 seconds, proving that it is able to fully operate in low temperatures, NASA tweeted.
Currently, in the northern hemisphere of Mars, where the Ingenuity drone operates, winter has come, which seriously complicates the work of the apparatus designed for the Martian summer.
After the first major failure in May 2022, due to the influence of low temperatures, the drone changed its daily operation cycle, according to which the helicopter must turn off at night and warm up in the morning, charge the battery and restart its computer.
However, in early June, this led to the failure of the inclinometer, the functions of which were supposed to be taken over by the inertial measuring module.
On June 11, 2022, Ingenuity made its 29th flight, which was the first in the winter season on Mars. The flight lasted 66.6 seconds.
During this time, the helicopter covered 179 meters at a speed of 5.5 meters per second. The flight altitude was ten meters. Thus, the drone showed that it is able to fly without a working inclinometer and survive the Martian winter.
Ingenuity became the first unmanned vehicle to make a controlled flight in the atmosphere of another celestial body. The drone, designed for a month of operation, has been operating for 1.5 years.
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