Since the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover landed on Mars, the Ingenuity Helicopter has been preparing for flying. On March 21st, 2021, after dropping the debris shield, which covered and protected Ingenuity all the way till landing, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter is ready to take its first test drive.
Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will also have the debris shield and users can remove it remotely. The appearance structure of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s debris shield will perfectly replate the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s debris shield and have the same appearance structure.
The Martian air density is only 1% of Earth’s, and the gravity is about 30% of Earth’s. Moreover, during the night, the temperature can go extremely low. With limited sun, or solar power, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter has to keep warming up itself to ensure the structure and all the electrical components won’t be frozen. Therefore, keeping Ingenuity sufficiently charged and warm alone is not an easy task, letting it fly is even more difficult. This is also the reason that this time, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter does not have an actual goal or any science instruments, because its only mission is to be able to fly.
For our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica and the Ingenuity replica, because they will be on Earth, we don’t need to worry about keeping them warm, but we might need to worry about getting a ventilation system for when warm weathers come.
It will take about 6 sols (or more if needed) for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter to deploy. Because the Ingenuity was initially attached at the bottom of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and placed upside down, it needs to be slowly rotated to the vertical position, which will take around 3 sol, if not more. Eventually, Ingenuity’s 4 legs should be standing steadily on the floor, the 6 batteries should be sufficiently charged and the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover should be about 5 meters (16 feet away) so that Ingenuity can get enough solar power. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica and the Ingenuity replica won’t use solar power, and they will be using rechargeable batteries or an external power supply.
During the test flight, Ingenuity will need to run its rotors at 2,537 RPM, fly up for 3 seconds to a height of 3 meters, and stay in the air for 30 seconds. After Ingenuity lands, videos of how it performs will be sent back to Earth so that the team will know if everything is working normally. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s Ingenuity will also be able to fly, but how much height it can climb is still to be determined. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].