NASA's "smart" Mars helicopter made a record breaking trek on the surface of Mars. On April 19, 2021, this small exploration UAV made its first flight. Since then, it has flown many times. In addition to becoming the first aircraft in human history to conduct power and control flight on another planet, the "smart" continued to break its flight records again and again.
As early as april8,2022, NASA's "smart" entered the air for its 25th flight. Although it was a milestone in itself, the aircraft also broke two records in this flight.
First of all, it broke the duration record and stayed in the air for a little more than 2 minutes and 41 seconds. Second, it broke its speed record. During the flight, the helicopter flew at a speed of 12mph and crossed the surface of Mars at a distance of 2310 feet.
Since then, the smart has flown three more times. However, NASA recently shared the footage of the latest flight record of the smart. This nearly 3-minute video was greatly accelerated and lasted only 35 seconds in the video.
The beginning and end of the flight are not shown in the video. But this is because the navigation camera will be turned off when the helicopter enters within three feet of the ground. The helicopter was designed so that dust from Mars would not interfere with the navigation system.
However, there is really nothing to see from the camera used by the smart. Although it is exciting to break the flight record, the real discovery will come from the ongoing mission of perseverance to understand ancient life on Mars. Of course, this does not mean that the "smart" is not important.
It is understood that part of the reason why the "smart" continues to break the flight record is its role in future planetary exploration. Flying is one of the quickest ways to explore and travel. Therefore, it is very important for the future exploration of Mars and other planets to have an automated system that can take off and fly at a high speed and for a long time.
NASA has many big plans to use the James Webb Space Telescope to study exoplanets. But with a drone such as the smart, the plane can be used to observe the planet's surface more closely. The "wit" survived a near death experience. In addition, this year, it also experienced a power panic, which proved that NASA's project can be sustained.
What people need to do now is to appreciate the record breaking flight records of the "smart" and all that it can bring to mankind about flying on other planets.