NASA Ingenuity Helicopter Finally Completes 19th Flight: How it Beat the Red Planet Dust Storm

After a month-long delay, the NASA Mars helicopter Ingenuity finally completed its 19th flight on the Red Planet. This is a highly anticipated achievement after the frustrating and dangerous dust storm in Jezero Crater.

Ingenuity is the aerial robotic partner of the NASA Mars rover Perseverance, which has been exploring the Red Planet since February 2021. In quick summary, these robots are responsible for assessing Mars' topography, gathering rock and soil samples, seeking signs of ancient life, and aiding humans in space exploration.

NASA Ingenuity 19th Flight Delayed: Mars Dust Storms

According to Space, Ingenuity's flight was initially scheduled for January 5. However, researchers discovered that a dust storm had started near the vicinity, and they decided to postpone the mission in favor of safety. Note that this decision meant Ingenuity is the "first aircraft ever to have a flight delayed" due to weather conditions on a different planet!

Researchers realized they made the right decision when the dust storm ended up descending on the 28-mile-wide Jezero Crater where Perseverance and Ingenuity were both stationed. The unexpected weather conditions notably delayed all their space missions.

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Issues

Space noted that there are two main issues about the Mars dust storm which could cause serious complications to Ingenuity's mission. First, the dust on the air could hinder Ingenuity from recharging via solar energy. Also, note that this meant Ingenuity had to save its battery until the next recharge opportunity.

The second issue is that airborne dust can heat up the atmosphere and absorb solar radiation. This will make it difficult for ground control to properly navigate Ingenuity during flight. Both issues were proven true in later findings.

Autoevolution explained that during the interim, the weather station Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) had recorded atmosphere conditions during the storm. Ingenuity's sensors also contributed to some data.

Jonathan Bapst and Michael Mischna, the Ingenuity's weather and environment team, wrote that the dust storm cause a "sharp drop in air density - about a 7% deviation below what was observed pre-dust storm... This observed decrease would have put density below the lower threshold of safe flight and would have imparted undue risk to the spacecraft."

Unfortunately, the delay extended up until February. This implies one of the biggest and most frustrating waits for researchers.

NASA Ingenuity 19th Flight on Mars

As of Tuesday, Feb 8, Ingenuity finally took flight from Jezero Crater floor. The team tweeted an update that Ingenuity's first flight for 2022 was 99.98 seconds long. Notably, the aircraft explored around 205 feet (62 meters) of Mars' surface. Researchers have yet to share their discovery on the brief flight.

Both Perseverance and Ingenuity will still have a lot more exciting adventures on Mars' surface later this year. Fans are recommended to watch out and wait for further updates.

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