Christian Elliott

But Hovard says it's mostly about that really thin atmosphere.

He said it comes down to a triangle of mass, thrust, and power.

Closing the system was a delicate balance of weight and size.

You need big enough blades to generate lift, but it also can't be too heavy to fly.

Each rotor blade weighs just two ounces.

They spin at 2,500 rotations per minute to lift the little tissue box-sized body of the helicopter.

Helicopter blades on Earth only spin around 400 rotations per minute for comparison.

And a helicopter is a fragile thing.

It had been packaged up in the belly of the rover.

But the ride down to Mars wasn't exactly smooth.

So when Perseverance dropped the helicopter off, it wasn't a guarantee that it would still work.

Then it was time for the moment of truth, the first flight, April 19th, 2021.

The plan was simple, power up the rotors, fly straight up about 10 feet, and then land safely.

On the broadcast, you can see the mission control team sitting around a U-shaped table.

In the middle is a life-size model of ingenuity.

They sent the real Ingenuity its instructions, and then they waited.

You hear from the mission control team that they've received data back from Mars.

Then you hear from flight control, Hovard, in his usual understated way.

It worked perfectly.

Ingenuity had flown.