Tune into NASA website on April 12, 12:30 AM PDT to watch the first flight of Ingenuity. 350 W average power will provide a 90 second flight per Martian day. Here is a link: and also the NASA website for more info: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#
The video link is now down due to technical issues while doing a test on the high speed rotors. Good news is: it is safe and healthy, so probably best to keep informed on the NASA website. Right now the inaugural flight is delayed until no earlier than April 14th. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/291/mars-helicopter-flight-delayed-to-no-earlier-than-april-14/ Good luck Ingenuity
Today (April 19,2021) Ingenuity first successful flight: This 4 pound helicopter with its 4 foot rotor system span spins its counter rotating blades about 2400 rpm and is solar powered.
How are they going to keep that little thing from being blown away when it experiences its first Martian wind storm? I don't think we have any weather stations set up there yet, and getting up to date forecasts.
The Martian atmosphere is incredibly thin - it isn't at all like in the movie. A strong windstorm would be more like a light breeze to us.
Thin and cold (-130 F) the night before. The range must have a dramatic increase when the noon temperatures could approach 20 C at the equator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mars#:~:text=Surface temperatures may reach a,°F) at the poles.
