NASA says its Ingenuity Mars helicopter achieved new records in speed and altitude.
The chopper reached 14.5 miles per hour, beating its prior record of
13.4 mph, and rose to a max altitude of 52.5 feet, higher than its
previous 46 feet.
- Ingenuity was brought to Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021 by NASA's Perseverance rover.
- Two
months later, it flew for the first time in a 39-second hover, marking
the first powered and controlled flight in the planet's atmosphere
- The copter has now flown 49 times, covering 6.974 miles (11.224 km) of ground for 86.7 minutes.
- Ingenuity achieved the latest records during a flight on Sunday. Its 50th flight is scheduled for next Wednesday, April 12.
