The shadow of NASA’s Ingenuity is seen on the surface of Mars as the helicopter hovered during its first flight on April 19, 2021.
- NASA successfully conducted the first flight of an aircraft on another planet.
- Helicopter Ingenuity flew for 39 seconds above the Martian surface.
- NASA rover Perseverance captured imagery of the flight after rolling a short distance away, with one of its navigation cameras showing a sequence before, during and after the helicopter's flight.
Here's a look at NASA's historic flight of an aircraft on Mars, a feat the space agency called a "Wright brothers moment."
NASA rover Perseverance captured imagery of the flight after rolling a short distance away, with one of its navigation cameras showing a sequence before, during and after the helicopter's flight.
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Ingenuity, which weighs 4 pounds, successfully flew autonomously for 39 seconds.
NASA announced after the flight that the area on Mars' Jezero Crater where Ingenuity flew will be known as Wright Brothers Field.
The helicopter stands just over 19 inches tall, and was delivered to the surface of Mars by NASA's rover Perseverance.
