That additional thrust is needed on takeoffs and climbs, during maneuvers, and also when tracking terrain with varying height. Thrust margin refers to the excess thrust that Ingenuity can produce above and beyond what is required to hover. At our lower design limit for atmospheric density (0.0145 kg/m 3), we know that Ingenuity has a thrust margin of at least 30%. The difference may seem small, but it has a significant impact on Ingenuity’s ability to fly. In the coming months we may see densities as low as 0.012 kg/m 3 (1.0% of Earth’s density) during the afternoon hours that are preferable for flight. With Ingenuity in its sixth month of operation, however, we have entered a season where the densities in Jezero Crater are dropping to even lower levels. We therefore prepared for flights at atmospheric densities between 0.0145 and 0.0185 kg/m 3, which is equivalent to 1.2-1.5% of Earth’s atmospheric density at sea level. When we designed and tested Ingenuity on Earth, we expected Ingenuity’s five-flight mission to be completed within the first few months after Perseverance’s landing in February 2021.
But in one important way it is actually getting more difficult every day: I’m talking about the atmospheric density, which was already extremely low and is now dropping further due to seasonal variations on Mars. With the benefit of the knowledge acquired, conducting flights on Mars has in most ways become easier than it was at the outset. We have explored Ingenuity’s strengths and limitations in detail, leveraging the former and working around the latter to operationalize it as a highly capable reconnaissance platform. In the months since we flew for the first time, we have learned a great deal about operating a helicopter on Mars.
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