--- title: "Amazing Video Shows Mars Helicopter Cruising Above Martian Surface" description: "Big Leap NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter successfully set a new speed record over the weekend during its third powered flight on the surface of the Red Planet. It flew some 164 feet at 16 feet above the surface, reaching a top speed of 6.6 feet per second. The entire flight lasted about 80 seconds. It […]" date: "2021-04-26" modified: "2021-04-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazing-video-shows-mars-helicopter-cruising-above-martian-surface" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "ingenuity" - "JPL" - "mars" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Amazing Video Shows Mars Helicopter Cruising Above Martian Surface ![NASA's Perseverance Mars rover caught Ingenuity's third flight on camera, showing just how far the little helicopter got on the Martian surface.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Big Leap NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter [successfully set a new speed record]() over the weekend during its third powered flight on the surface of the Red Planet. It flew some 164 feet at an altitude of 16 feet, reaching a top speed of 6.6 feet per second. The entire flight lasted about 80 seconds. It may have been the third try, but it's the first time we've seen Ingenuity really stretch its capabilities — especially when it comes to covering distance on the vast, deserted landscape. The agency's Perseverance rover, Ingenuity's ride to Mars, watched and filmed the spectacle from a safe distance near the "Van Ozyl Overlook," using a camera mounted to its mast. Perseverance managed to catch almost the entire flight on camera, with Ingenuity briefly popping out of the frame. It also gives amazing context, showing just how far the little, four pound rotorcraft got. https://youtu.be/kNx9hcrUpww ## Bird's Eye View Ingenuity also sent back a third color image it took during its second flight on April 22, showing Perseverance's track marks from an altitude of 17 feet. The team is already working on setting Ingenuity up for its fourth flight in the coming days. Who knows how far it will make it then? ![]() **READ MORE:** [NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Flies Faster, Farther on Third Flight]() \[NASA\] **More on Ingenuity:** *[NASA’s Mars Helicopter Hits Record Speeds in Third Flight]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()