Guess what’s making its way to the Smithsonian Museum? NASA just handed over the prototype of the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, to the National Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It’s found a cool spot at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
This prototype was a game-changer. It was the first mini-helicopter to prove it could fly in another planet’s atmosphere. NASA did this test at their Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and boy, did it work!
Back in May 2016, they took it for a spin in this massive vacuum chamber, making it feel like Mars with its thin atmosphere. That successful test gave NASA the green light to send Ingenuity all the way to the red planet.
Remember when Perseverance and Ingenuity made their grand entrance to Mars in February 2021? Originally, Ingenuity was meant for a few test flights, but now it’s logged over 65 flights! Most of these flights are helping pave the way for Perseverance, scouting its path ahead.
