NASA invites public to join the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter first powered, controlled flight

NASA is targeting no earlier than Sunday, April 11, for its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet via rotor blades that are constructed from carbon fiber and foam core. To mark a month of Ingenuity flights, the agency will host several events to bring people along for the ride.

A livestream confirming Ingenuity’s first flight is targeted to begin around 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday, April 12, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, and will livestream on multiple agency social media platforms, including the JPL YouTube and Facebook channels.

Ingenuity arrived at Mars’ Jezero Crater Feb. 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover — which is also supported by a range of composite materials and structures, including its landing parachute, the aeroshell entry vehicle and more (see “Composites launch to Mars”). The helicopter is a technology demonstration with a planned test flight duration of up to 31 days (30 Mars days, or sols). The rover will provide support during flight operations, taking images, collecting environmental data and hosting the base station that enables the helicopter to communicate with mission controllers on Earth.

The flight date may shift as engineers work on the deployments, preflight checks and vehicle positioning of both Perseverance and Ingenuity. Timing for events will be updated as needed, and the latest schedule will be available on the helicopter’s Watch Online webpage.

 

News briefing and televised event schedule

Virtual media briefings before and after Ingenuity’s first flight attempt and the livestream coverage of the flight attempt will originate from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. A preflight briefing at 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. PDT) Friday, April 9, will provide the latest details on the helicopter’s operations and what to expect on the first flight day.

Briefing participants are expected to include:

• Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science, NASA Headquarters
• MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager, JPL
• Tim Canham, Ingenuity operations lead, JPL
• Amelia Quon, Ingenuity chamber test engineer, JPL
• Elsa Jensen, Mastcam-Z uplink operations lead, Malin Space Science Systems (San Diego, Calif., U.S.)

If the helicopter flies on Sunday, April 11, as expected, the livestream will show the helicopter team analyzing the first test flight data in JPL’s Space Flight Operations Facility beginning at 3:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 a.m. PDT) Monday, April 12.

A postflight briefing is expected to take place at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT) Monday, April 12.

Members of the media who wish to participate in the briefings by telephone must provide their name and affiliation at least two hours before each briefing to Rexana Vizza at: rexana.v.vizza@jpl.nasa.gov.

The public and the media also may ask questions on social media during the briefings and livestream using #MarsHelicopter.

 

Additional media opportunities

Live shots and remote live interviews via Zoom will be offered in English and Spanish from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT (3 to 10 a.m. PDT) Friday, April 9. To book a live shot window, media should complete and submit the form available here.

Interview requests outside that window can be arranged by calling JPL’s Digital News and Media Office at 818-354-5011 or completing the form available here.

Further, on Thursday, April 8, at 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. PDT), students can watch a special conversation with members of the rover and helicopter teams on the NASA-JPL Edu YouTube channel and NASA TV.

A series of informal talks, titled, “Taking Flight: How Girls Can Grow Up to Be Engineers,” will take place Thursday, April 15; Thursday, April 22; and Thursday, April 29; at 4 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. PDT) each day, with exact dates and times based on Ingenuity’s first flight. The talks will focus on helping girls chart a path to engineering and provide invitations to special events for girls and women interested in the field.