The first flight to Mars of the Ingenuity helicopter drone of the NASA Perseverance mission is scheduled for mid-April: the attempt will be made no earlier than Thursday 8th. This was announced by NASA in a press conference.
The aircraft, the first designed to fly to another planet, will take off carrying an original piece of fabric from the Wright Brothers' first airplane in 1903. After reaching an altitude of three meters above the Martian ground, Ingenuity will fly for about 30 seconds and will land again.
The test will take place in a flat, obstacle-free area that is close to the rover.
Ingenuity, which is still in the 'womb' of the Perseverance rover, has already been freed of its protective shield last Sunday, and has received all the instructions from Earth for its first flight in the last few hours.
It will take approximately two days to move the rover to the site chosen for the attempt.
When the time comes, the operations for the detachment and deployment of the drone will begin: it will take about four hours for it to rest with its 'paws' on the Martian soil.
At that point the Perseverance rover will gently move to give it space and film the take-off scene from afar, while Ingenuity will recharge with solar energy and face the last tests in preparation for take-off.
