Mars

"The red planet"

42 'Mars' stories February 2020 - April 2021

Mars, named after the Roman God of war, is the second-smallest planet in our solar system. Often referred to as “the red planet” due to its red appearance caused by the iron oxide on its surface. Features of the planet include impact craters, valleys, deserts, and large polar ice caps.

The planet has been explored by many unmanned spacecraft, including Mariner 4, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Express, and many more.

Traditional life here has been deemed as likely, even more so under the surface due to underground water.

Important Stats

4th planet from the Sun (142 million miles)
2 moons
4,220 miles in diameter
25 degree axis tilt
687 day long years
30% of Earth’s gravity (3.71 m/s²)
Average temperature of -81 degrees F
Atmospheric makeup of mostly carbon dioxide with little water vapor

Moons

Phobos (fear)
Deimos (panic)

Surface Photos

[Update: New flight time announced] NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter considered a full success, no fourth flight to celebrate with though

Seth Kurkowski Apr 29 2021 - 6:55 pm PT

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NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has wowed us from Earth with its first flights over the Red Planet. After just 3 flights the tech demo has completed all of its test objectives and will now push the envelope for what it can do.

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Mars Helicopter Ingenuity spots Perseverance Rover on Mars surface while in flight

Derek Wise Apr 28 2021 - 4:08 pm PT

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Mars Helicopter Ingenuity completed its third flight on Sunday. Images and video have been arriving back on Earth since then, and on Tuesday a notable image arrived.

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NASA Ingenuity helicopter takes its second bigger and better flight on Mars

Seth Kurkowski Apr 22 2021 - 7:22 am PT

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After the success of its first flight at the beginning of this week, Ingenuity took its second flight early this morning. This flight pushed the tech demo to do more challenging tasks as they step through their testing campaign this month.

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Google celebrates historic Mars Helicopter flight with a custom search page

Derek Wise Apr 19 2021 - 12:00 pm PT

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After the announcement of the first successful flight of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter people have taken to social media to share their excitement, including companies and celebrities.

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Mars Helicopter Ingenuity makes history, successfully taking first flight on another planet

Derek Wise Apr 19 2021 - 5:11 am PT

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On a livestream from mission control early this morning, the Ingenuity team received the very first data confirming the successful flight of Mars Helicopter Ingenuity.

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Mars Helicopter Ingenuity completes high-speed spin test after last week’s complications

Derek Wise Apr 16 2021 - 6:43 pm PT

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After delays in the first flight of Ingenuity due to a failure to complete the first high-speed spin test, Ingenuity may be back on track. NASA shared today that Ingenuity has successfully completed a high-speed spin test; an important test before the first flight.

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[Update: Further Delays]Ingenuity Flight Delayed after high-speed spin test ends early

Derek Wise Apr 12 2021 - 6:00 pm PT

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[Update Below] On April 10th, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shared in a Status Update that the first flight of Mars Helicopter Ingenuity has been rescheduled to No Earlier Than April 14th. Ingenuity underwent a low-speed spin test of its rotor yesterday, reaching 50rpm. When the helicopter moved to begin the full-speed spin test of its rotors the watchdog timer expired.

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[Update: Blades Unlocked] How NASA’s Mars Helicopter Ingenuity will be deployed onto the surface

Derek Wise Apr 8 2021 - 3:35 pm PT

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The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity is an exciting new development in planetary exploration. The ability to have powered, controlled flights on another planet opens up new possibilities for future robotic and, eventually, human missions. Years of work have led up to Ingenuitity’s first flight, no earlier than April 11th, and the teams at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are currently working through the helicopter’s 10-day long deployment process.

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JPL gives Ingenuity helicopter a flight date and honors former engineer with spot on Mars

Derek Wise Mar 23 2021 - 12:11 pm PT

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Today, during a press briefing on the first flight of Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, new information was revealed for the upcoming flight of Ingenuity. This first flight is currently targeting April 8th. When Perseverance first touched down, they determined that it landed right on the edge of an acceptable flight zone for Ingenuity.

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Perseverance rover releases debris shield covering Ingenuity Mars helicopter

Derek Wise Mar 22 2021 - 7:06 am PT

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Yesterday, NASA’s Perseverance rover released the debris shield which protected the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity. This marks the beginning of the deployment for Ingenuity; which is expected to take 10 Martian days (sols). The next major step in the process will be Perseverance driving to the center of the helipad which has been selected.

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