NASA's helicopter flying on Mars upgraded the human race in a big way

In a recent livestream on YouTube by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it was discussed how Ingenuity taking flight on Mars multiple times has paved the way for future space exploration.

According to Ingenuity pilot Johnny Lam, successful flights of Ingenuity have unlocked a completely new dimension of space exploration for the human race. Ingenuity's success is such a big deal because now space explorers can guide rovers through a safe and effective path that would have originally have had pilots guessing.

Lam said, "I think with the success of Ingenuity, we basically unlocked an aerial dimension to exploration. We can kind of reach some hard-to-reach areas, we can provide images, reconnaissance... the best path to traverse." Ingenuity will provide the teams back on Earth with vital data, and its next mission will be a one-way trip to a new possible landing site. Eventually, the helicopter will be tasked with flying next to the Perseverance rover to see how Ingenuity does working as a scout.

Nishant Mehta, deputy lead for NASA's Dragonfly mobility system from Maryland, said, "The mission will provide inspiration. They'll aspire future ideas for planetary exploration and certainly push our boundaries even further."

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