NASA is not sending only a rover to Mars, but also a helicopter and if the mission is successful it will become the first powered flight on another planet.
The exciting news is that the tiny helicopter has now a name, Ingenuity, which is “exactly what it took to design this machine”, said the 11th grader Vaneeza Rupani from Tuscalosa County High School in Northport, Alabama. She was chosen from the finalists of the “Name the Rover” contest created by NASA and allowed to name the helicopter that will accompany the rover, Perseverance, on Mars.
Vaneeza also shared with us her opinion of why space exploration is important and said that by studying other planets, we will also learn more about how to protect ours and also more about the history of planets. Ingenuity is supposed to give better mapping for future missions as well as test technology from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and assure us that it is safe to use.
The Perseverance mission is supposed to launch in July or August, so that it will reach Mars in February 2021.
Mars has always been a dream for humankind, and now we could be a step closer towards achieveing it because of this mission, that indeed requires ingenuity and perseverance.
