Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The successful 14th flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took place shortly after 1:18 a.m. PDT on October 24 within Jezero Crater.

According to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

As planned, the helicopter executed its first 2,700 rpm flight, proving that Ingenuity is capable of flying in the weeks and months ahead on Mars, during which seasonal changes on the surface will result in decreases in air density.

The short 23-second flight included a peak altitude of 16 feet (5 meters) above ground level, with a small sideways translation of 7 feet (2 meters) to avoid a nearby sand ripple.

This most recent flight was also the first time Ingenuity recorded black-and-white navigation camera images at the high-rate of about seven frames a second.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter acquired this sequence of images using its navigation camera. This camera is mounted in the helicopter’s fuselage and pointed directly downward to track the ground during flight.
These images were acquired on October 24, 2021 (Sol 241 of the Perseverance rover mission) at the local mean solar time of 12:34:15.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech