NASA releases video of mini-reconnaissance plane flying over Mars

Ingenuity, a small powered and piloted rover, continues to set new records in its exploration of Mars. NASA has released detailed footage of this breathtaking journey.

Two videos of Ingenuity's 13th flight were filmed on September 4. In just 16 seconds, Ingenuity moved horizontally nearly 213 m, at an altitude of 8 m. The Perseverance camera with two Mastcam-Z cameras recorded every maneuver of the small plane from a distance of 300 meters.

Justin Maki, deputy investigator for the Mastcam-Z instrument at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in Southern California, said: 'The value of Mastcam-Z really shines through these video clips. Even at 300 m away, we still get a beautiful close-up of the take-off and landing process through the Mastcam-Z's 'right eye'. On the left eye, it gives the viewer a good sense of Ingenuity' surroundings.

Scientists at NASA had to reprogram Ingenuity to move faster through the thin atmosphere, which occurs when the seasons change on Mars. The mini-plane's navigation system is automated, incorporating artificial intelligence to continuously measure and correct environmental variables such as wind speed and ground level below.

'Great! Thanks to the calibration function, we were able to improve the accuracy of the model as well as how to make Ingenuity most efficient," said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity's chief pilot.

During its 13th reconnaissance flight, Ingenuity took 10 images, including a few interestingly shaped rocky outcrops on the Martian surface. Ingenuity flies around to locate quarries and strange minerals, then the Perseverance rover robot will come to study and collect strange rock samples.

When the solar conjunction ends, the period in which the Sun disrupts communications between Earth and Mars, Ingenuity will pause exploration and return to its original parking lot. Although the road will be difficult with the Perseverance rover, with Ingenuity's flying ability it is very easy.