Ingenuity, the tiny Mars helicopter that could, will keep flying

Pretty cool. They're working on version 2, which will fly out, collect soil/rock samples and return them to a rocket to bring them to Earth.
(HTH does this thing cost 80 mil?)


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Ingenuity, the tiny $80 million helicopter that has hovered over Mars 55 times since April 2021, will continue mapping the planet's surface as long as it can still fly, the former team lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told UPI.

...
Most people, "even at JPL, wondered about flying a helicopter in an atmosphere with a pressure that's barely 0.7% of Earth," Anderson said. "There was a huge question of whether you could actually do something useful with a helicopter on Mars."

As it turned out, propeller blades spinning between 2,400 and 2,900 rpm did the trick. They are not just run-of-the-mill blades; they are made of carbon fiber specifically designed for the Martian environment.

Given Earth's greater atmospheric density, helicopter blades run between 225 and 550 rotations per minute, depending on aircraft shape and size.

The little helicopter has now covered 41,024 feet of ground and stayed aloft for nearly 98 minutes on its 55 flights, mission team members wrote on the chopper's flight log. And a repositioning 56th flight is imminent.

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2023/08/30/Mars-helicopter-ingenuity/3461693248312/