Ingenuity Unlocks Rotor Blades Ahead of First Flight on Mars Written 9 April 2021
Artist’s concept of the Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, slated to launch on NASA's Mars 2020 rover mission in July 2020. | NASA/JPL-Caltech
SPACE reports that the NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity “has unlocked its two rotor blades as preparations continue for the vehicle’s first flight, due to occur no earlier than Sunday (April 11).” NASA’s JPL said in a tweet Thursday, “The blades of glory, aka rotor blades of the #MarsHelicopter, have been unlocked and are ready for testing. ... Next, we’ll do a slow-speed spin-up of the blades for the first time on the Martian surface.” NASA officials “have said they will test the blades first at 50 and then at 2,400 revolutions per minute before the helicopter attempts to fly.”
Full Story (SPACE)