--- title: "Suggestion: NASA Should Make Its Mars Helicopter Do Some Gnarly Tricks From “Tony Hawk”" description: "We have a humble suggestion: NASA should make interplanetary history once more by having its Ingenuity Mars helicopter do some sick tricks." date: "2023-02-01" modified: "2023-02-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-make-mars-helicopter-tricks-tony-hawk" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "ingenuity" - "mars" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Suggestion: NASA Should Make Its Mars Helicopter Do Some Gnarly Tricks From “Tony Hawk” ![We have a humble suggestion: NASA should make interplanetary history once more by having its Ingenuity Mars helicopter do some sick tricks.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Mars Skate NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has done it all. The tiny four-pound rotorcraft recently [completed its 41st flight]() ever since being gently dropped off on the surface by its much bigger brother Perseverance, well over a year and a half ago. Yes, it's covered a lot of ground on a planet hundreds of millions of miles away. Yes, it managed to take some [impressive footage]() in the process. But considering how much time it's spent on the surface, and the dozens of very similar flights it has completed, we can't help but feel like we, the American taxpayers, deserve a little bit more excitement. So how about some sick tricks? ## Sick Flips NASA is supposedly a part of the government, beholden to the wisdom of the American people. As such, we have a humble suggestion: the space agency should make interplanetary history once more by using its Ingenuity Marscopter to do some sick tricks from the hit video game franchise "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater." We're talking gnarly darkslide grinds on shelves of billions of years old igneous rock, or maybe a drop into an ancient pool — after all, its home for the last 600 days is the Jezero crater, which is suspected to be an ancient dried-up lake bed. Let the tiny helicopter freestyle for once, NASA. ## Tired Hops Ingenuity has already blown far past its original goal of demonstrating that it's possible to take flight on the surface of another planet. Hell, it already had [exceeded all expectations]() just a month into its mission. The helicopter has spent a cumulative 67 minutes in the air, sped up to a blistering 12.3 mph, and reached altitudes of 46 feet, according to its official [flight log](). It's also served plenty of other purposes, including scouting new sites for the Perseverance rover to visit. It's survived flying over a [field of foreign objects](), spotted its [own lander's parachute](), and overcame plenty of [technical issues](). In short, do we really want to force Ingenuity to keep up its tired hops? Isn't 41 flights enough? Why not throw in some gnarly kickflips and nosegrabs as a fitting interplanetary finale? NASA has already laid the foundation for many exciting flights on the surface of distant planets — and not just Mars — in the near future. So what's stopping the agency from ending Ingenuity's years-long stint on Mars with a real bang? We'd be seriously stoked. **READ MORE:** [Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars over Perseverance rover tracks on 41st flight]() \[*Space.com*\] More on Ingenuity: *[NASA Says "Foreign Object Debris" Briefly Stuck to Its Mars Helicopter]()* ## 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]()