Born to fly π !
#Ingenuity can't sit still at a place for too long. And if #Perseverance is tied up with its rocky business, the #MarsHelicopter can try some new tricks without moving too far, or at all π
#Flight59 is coming up on Saturday, Sep 16, and it will be a popup flight up to a 20m altitude, another first! The previous record was 18m, #Flight50.
Here is the announcement: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/480/flight-59-preview-by-the-numbers/
Mount Julian (if that's the name) appears to have been hit by a meteorite rather recently. The #HiRISE imagery shows a depression there, but it doesn't look like a crater, IMO. But #Ingenuity's RTE image from #Flight50 leaves little doubt about it:
Animated processed HELI_RTE
Flight: 50,
Sol: 763, LMST: 15:06:48
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00763/ids/edr/browse/heli/HSF_0763_0734685047_542ECM_N0500001HELI00008_000085J01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise
#Ingenuity had a chance to glance inside Belva Crater at the end of #Flight50, just before landing. The RTE images showing the area may prove valuable for the team to plan its route through the rugged terrain.
The animation shows my guess for approaching that area. Processing of the RTE image is unfortunately rather poor.
HELI_RTE
Sol: 763, RMC: 0.None, LMST: 15:07:04
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00763/ids/edr/browse/heli/HSF_0763_0734685063_495ECM_N0500001HELI00009_000085J01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise
#Ingenuity's #Flight50 landing in 8 processed, rotated, stabilized images.
HELI_NAV animation @ 5fps
Flight: 50,
Sol: 763, LMST: 15:07:40
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00763/ids/edr/browse/heli/HNM_0763_0734685100_534ECM_N0500001HELI04818_0000A0J01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise
The sol coming to an end, after #Ingenuity's #Flight50.
EDITED. (thanks [email protected] for the reminder π )
Processed, undistorted NAVCAM_LEFT
Sol: 763, RMC: 38.0000, LMST: 16:47:52
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00763/ids/edr/browse/ncam/NLF_0763_0734691277_691ECM_N0380000NCAM00501_01_295J01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise
#NASA's report on #Flight50 of #Ingenuity (https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9381/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-completes-50th-flight/) gives some info on what's ahead for the two crafts, and two new names: "Mount Julian", with a panoramic view of Belva Crater, and "Fall River Pass".
Here is an animation showing visibility from a number of locations along a path of least slopes I predicted earlier.
My estimate on the location of Mount Julian and Fall River Pass follows.
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#Perseverance #MarsHelicopter #Mars2020 #NASA #Solarocks #Space
#Flight50 of #Ingenuity is now an historic fact! π!
Kudos to Bob Balaram's team that designed it and to the team that operates it so successfully!
#Perseverance arrived on site less than 30 minutes before initiating the flight:
End-of-drive time: 14:38:59 LMST
Flight 50 time: 15:07:25 LMST
The #MarsHelicopter approached its 50th airfield oriented with its visible legs in front, while it had previously landed in the opposite orientation. This may indicate that
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And, my Little Assistant informs me that the official map has been updated with the new location. Pretty darn close, for a wild guess π .
So #Ingenuity's Silver #Flight50 will be televised π from close range (82m), and we'll all be part of history been written on Mars, with the #MarsHelicopter, initially expected to last for 5 flights, completing 10 times more, and aiming for its Golden #Flight100 by the end of next Martian year π
Which (wild guess) if correct, would mean that #Ingenuity is now in full view from the rover and #Flight50 will be photographed and videoed for the history books! π
Here is my take for the #MarsHelicopter's location:
#Perseverance changed its site number to 38, presumably after moving to a new location, possibly on the plateau where #Ingenuity waits to take off for its Silver #Flight50.
Quick mosaic, processed, undistorted NAVCAM_RIGHT
Sol: 763, RMC: 38.0000, LMST: 14:43:39
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00763/ids/edr/browse/ncam/NRF_0763_0734683619_784ECM_N0380000NCAM03763_07_195J01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise
65dBnoise
