---
title: "Marscopter Spins up Blades in Preparation for Test Flight"
description: "A low resolution video made up of several images shows NASA's Mars helicopter's two rotocopter blades spinning up on the surface of Mars."
date: "2021-04-09"
modified: "2021-04-09"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/marscopter-spins-up-blades-in-preparation-for-test-flight"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "ingenuity"
  - "mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "perseverance"
  - "the digest"
---

# Marscopter Spins up Blades in Preparation for Test Flight

![A low resolution video made up of several images shows NASA's Mars helicopter's two rotocopter blades spinning up on the surface of Mars.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/marscopter-spins-up-blades-in-preparation-for-test-flight.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Flap Flap

NASA's Mars helicopter [Ingenuity](<https://futurism.com/tags/ingenuity>) has spun up its blades to a brisk 50 revolutions per minute in preparation for its maiden voyage, which could occur [as soon as early Sunday night](<https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8910/nasa-invites-public-to-take-flight-with-ingenuity-mars-helicopter/>).

NASA's video stream confirming the test flight results will start at 3:30 am EDT on Monday, April 12.

A low resolution video made up of several images shows the helicopter's two rotocopter blades spinning up, setting the stage for a truly historic moment: the first time a human-made object will attempt to fly on the surface of another planet.

https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1380404668069650437

## Watching the Show

Ingenuity's much larger cousin, the six-wheeled Perseverance rover, has driven about halfway to the point from where it's planning to watch the spectacle unfold using a zoom lens from a distance of roughly 200 feet. The rover also took the time to [snap a quick selfie](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-perseverance-rover-selfie-helicopter-background>) with the helicopter in the background before setting off.

https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1380313504108830723

If all goes well, Ingenuity will hover at roughly ten feet for up to 30 seconds on Monday morning.

Perseverance will take images of the event to be sent back to Earth for evaluation.

If successful, Ingenuity could lay the groundwork for a [new era in off-planet exploration](<https://futurism.com/nasa-mars-helicopter>). Being able to take to the skies means that we will get an unprecedented look at the surface of not just Mars, but potentially other planets as well.

**More on Ingenuity:** *[NASA’s New Mars Rover Takes Selfie With Helicopter in Background](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-perseverance-rover-selfie-helicopter-background>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)