Unmanned helicopter Ingenuity completed the shortest flight in the history of Martian aviation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced another

successful flight of the Mars drone Ingenuity.

What is known

Helicopter formerly known as the Mars HelicopterScout, Terry, Wendy and Earth Copter, worth $85 million, went to Mars in 2020 with the Perseverance rover, and in April 2021 made its first flight. In more than a year and a half of being on the Red Planet, he took off 34 times.

The #MarsHelicopter completes the shortest flight in Martian aviation history!

Ingenuity conducted a short hover for Flight 34,popping up 16 ft (5 meters) for 18 seconds. This flight tested out the capabilities of a major software update. https://t.co/rBpcSYubaJ pic.twitter.com/7D2DKkAcrf

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) November 23, 2022

The last flight took place a few days ago. It lasted 18 seconds. It was the shortest flight of Ingenuity. NASA called it the shortest in the history of Martian aviation.

The unmanned helicopter climbed to a height of 5 meters,after which he successfully landed on the surface of Mars. The purpose of the flight was to test the possibility of a large-scale update of the Ingenuity software. The update will allow the drone to use digital terrain maps for navigation and add the ability to avoid obstacles during landing.