This is amazing. Ingenuity has performed so well that NASA have extended its mission. It was supposed to fly 3 or 4 times then be abandoned but its performed so well NASA are going to use it operationally rather than just as a tech demonstrator.

It will fly up to a kilometre away fron Perserverance and assist its mission.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56951752.amp

"The US space agency has announced it is extending its Mars helicopter mission.

Nasa said the first three flights of the drone, called Ingenuity, had worked so well it would now be moving from a demonstration to an operational phase.

This means the chopper will support Nasa’s Perseverance Rover, helping with its hunt for signs of life.

The new phase will last for another 30 Martian days - or Sols - but the team said it was hopeful the operational role could be extended further.

“The technical performance has been fantastic and it is exceeding all our expectations,” said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity’s project manager"

Edited May 1, 20215 yr by martin-w

For all of NASA's failures, they have had some incredible successes.