NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter takes its first flight on Mars

On Monday, April 19th, 2021, The Mars Ingenuity Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to perform a controlled flight on another planet.

The drone gained an altitude of 10 feet and maintained the flight for about 30 seconds before landing back on the Martian surface. The footage was captured by the Perseverance Mars Rover which was also responsible for carrying the Ingenuity Helicopter to Mars on February 19th.

Humanity’s dream to fly has come a long way. From Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Aerial Screw’ sketch to Wright Brothers’ first flight on planet Earth and now Ingenuity’s first hover on Mars.