NASA's Ingenuity helicopter made its 45th flight to Mars, during which it flew approximately 0.5 kilometers. In addition, he took an amazing picture of the dawn on the Red Planet, according to Space. com.

According to the publication, the helicopter continues to fly around the Lake Lake crater.. It has already flown several times more than the mission specialists planned.. A small helicopter, along with its “friend”, the Perseverance rover, arrived on Mars in February 2021. And a few months later, in April 2021, he made his first flight.

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Initially, Ingenuity was supposed to simply demonstrate the possibility of flying in the thin Martian atmosphere.. But experts extended his mission, now he is helping the rover to study the crater in search of traces of ancient life on the Red Planet..

The helicopter made flights 45 and 46 with a difference of three days, and the new, 47 flight, can be made on any day. Due to the distance between Mars and Earth, communication with the spacecraft can be delayed from five to 20 minutes, depending on the position of the planets..

Therefore, the helicopter is designed so that it can take off, fly and land on its own..

The mission team on Earth programs the flight and then waits for confirmation that it was successful. Cameras aboard Ingenuity take photographs that help determine next steps for the helicopter and rover.

Previously, the Perseverance rover took a “selfie” on the Red Planet with the help of its robotic arm, which also included Ingenuity. At the time of the picture, the rover was at a distance of four meters from the helicopter.