After the first flight, and then about a second almost constant as well, this time the machine traveled 50 meters, reaching a speed of 2 meters per second, or 7 km / h.

Today’s trip was just what we had planned, but it couldn’t have been less impressive.

Hitchhiker DeterminationOn board the plane that arrived, the small 1.8 kg helicopter filmed this third 80-second flight. On Sunday, NASA announced that clips of this video will be sent to Earth in the coming days.

This side displacement flight was a test of the helicopter’s autonomous navigation system, which performs this trajectory based on previously received information.

And the cleverness Fly too fast, the flight algorithm is unable to determine the terrain.

The very low density of Mars air (1% of Earth’s atmosphere) forced NASA teams to design an ultra-light helicopter that rotates its blades much faster than those of a regular machine, in order to remove it from Earth.

The space agency is now announcing preparations for a fourth flight. The flights are expected to be of increasing difficulty and payment cleverness To its limits.

Whatever happens, after a maximum of a month, experiment cleverness You will stop, to let the rover Determination It is dedicated to its main mission: to search for traces of ancient life on Mars.