The Little (Mars) Helicopter that could! 🚁💪 Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on a terrestrial planet other than Earth, has made its ninth flight on the Red Planet. The 2 minute and 46 second flight was a nail-biter, but broke records for longest flight duration, fastest cruise speed, and it nearly quadrupled the distance flown between two airfields. The terrain Ingenuity flew over, called “Séítah,” would have been difficult to navigate with a ground vehicle like the Perseverance rover, but the ability to fly over the area provided the first close-view of major scientific targets that the rover will not reach for some time. This was made possible by a team of NASAAmes helicopter experts who assisted NASAJPL's Ingenuity team in making sure the technology demonstrator had the best chance for success in flying in the super thin atmosphere of the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU #NASA #Ingenuity #RedPlanet #MarsHelicopter #TeamWork