Context:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) regained contact with its Mars helicopter Ingenuity on January 21.
About Ingenuity: A Mars Helicopter
- Ingenuity is a small, autonomous aircraft that flew to Mars aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover.
- It is a solar powered aircraft which consists of a wireless communication system, navigation system, computers and cameras.
- It was built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA.
- Significance of Ingenuity: It is an experimental flight test to determine whether life is possible on Mars.
About Perseverance Rover
- Objective: To study signs of ancient life, and collect samples of soils & rocks that can be sent back to Earth for future missions.
- Mission Duration: At least one Mars year (approximately 687 Earth days)
- Launched: July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
NASA Perseverance Rover
List of Missions to Mars: Their Names and Associated Country
Mars Missions
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Space Agency (Country)
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USSR |
- Marine series
- Viking series
- Pathfinder
- Rovers: Spirit, Opportunity (2003)
- Phoenix (2007)
- Curiosity (2011)
- Maven (2013-14)
- Perseverance (2021)
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA) |
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European Space Agency (ESA) |
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Indian Space Research Organization (India) |
- Amal (Hope Mission) (2021)
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Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (UAE) |
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China National Space Administration (China) |
About Mars
- It is the 4th planet from the Sun & is half the size of Earth.
- It is also called the Red Planet because of the rusty iron on the ground surface.
- It is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, and extinct volcanoes.
- It has a very thin atmosphere & low gravity.
Mars has two moons Phobos and Deimos.
Red Planet Mars and Its Moons
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News Source: The Hindu
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