This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/522678-ingenuity-mars-flight-break-record/

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Ingenuity completes 4th Mars flight, breaks even more records (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) Ingenuity completes 4th Mars flight, breaks even more records (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
(4 months later)
NASA’s Ingenuity mission continues to break records on the Red Planet, flying faster and farther than ever before, scouting ahead of the Perseverance rover in the ongoing search for microbial life.NASA’s Ingenuity mission continues to break records on the Red Planet, flying faster and farther than ever before, scouting ahead of the Perseverance rover in the ongoing search for microbial life.
The rotocopter looks set to surpass its original month-long mission, though NASA engineers are unsure just how long the plucky 1.8kg (4lb) probe can last. Further extensions to the Ingenuity mission will depend on how well it survives prolonged usage and whether it is providing additional benefit to the rover’s goal of collecting soil and rock samples.The rotocopter looks set to surpass its original month-long mission, though NASA engineers are unsure just how long the plucky 1.8kg (4lb) probe can last. Further extensions to the Ingenuity mission will depend on how well it survives prolonged usage and whether it is providing additional benefit to the rover’s goal of collecting soil and rock samples.
“We’re going to gather information on the operational support capability of the helicopter while Perseverance focuses on its science mission,” Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said.“We’re going to gather information on the operational support capability of the helicopter while Perseverance focuses on its science mission,” Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said.
Having flown farther and faster than expected, Ingenuity’s prospects on the Red Planet are wide open: It may continue to serve as a companion to the Perseverance rover, helping to guide it towards the best soil and rock samples, or it may instead serve as a pathfinder for future human traversal of the Martian landscape.Having flown farther and faster than expected, Ingenuity’s prospects on the Red Planet are wide open: It may continue to serve as a companion to the Perseverance rover, helping to guide it towards the best soil and rock samples, or it may instead serve as a pathfinder for future human traversal of the Martian landscape.
However, given that Mars nights can reach temperatures of -130F (-90C), engineers are unsure how many freeze and thaw cycles the microcopter can handle. However, given that Mars nights can reach temperatures of -130F (-90C), engineers are unsure how many freeze and thaw cycles the microcopter can handle. 
The Perseverance team hopes to gather their first rock sample from a rocky outcrop in the Jezero Crater in July.The Perseverance team hopes to gather their first rock sample from a rocky outcrop in the Jezero Crater in July.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Dear readers and commenters,
We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system.
Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments,
RT Team.