The first images documenting the start of the maneuvers for the release of the Ingenuity drone-helicopter from the 'belly' of the NASA Perseverance rover arrive from Mars: the operations, started over the weekend, will allow the aircraft to be separated and placed vertically on the ground in view of the flight, the first ever on a planet other than Earth, scheduled for mid-April.
The small helicopter, weighing 1.8 kilograms, arrived in its Martian 'flight field' still hidden inside the rover, folded like an origami and turned to one side.
On March 21st it was freed from the shield that had protected it from debris during the Perseverance landing: in the last hours, after the release system was unlocked, its slow rotation in a vertical position began.
Soon Ingenuity will be able to stretch its 'legs' and complete the charge of the batteries: it will then be ready to land on the ground with a small leap from a height of 15 centimeters.
At that point the Perseverance rover will move slowly to make room for it and allow it to recharge under the sun's rays for take-off.
Maneuvers are underway for the release of the Ingenuity drone (source: NASA / JPL-Caltech)
While NASA is closely following this phase documenting all the steps with images, the United Arab Emirates also have their eyes on Mars to monitor their Hope probe: which reached the orbit of the planet on February 9, it has finally moved into definitive operational orbit, thanks to a maneuver that saw its engines ignite for 510 seconds.
The probe, as the heads of the mission explain on Twitter, is finally ready to begin the collection of scientific data, which will start on April 14 and will last two years.
Maneuvers are underway for the release of the Ingenuity drone (source: NASA / JPL-Caltech)