---
title: "NASA Says Mars Helicopter Is Now Healthier Than It Was Before Flight"
description: "According to Bob Balaram, Ingenuity's chief engineer at JPL, NASA's Mars helicopter has managed to shake off some dust that accumulated on its solar panels."
date: "2021-04-19"
modified: "2021-04-19"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-mars-helicopter-healthier"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "ingenuity"
  - "JPL"
  - "mars helicopter"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Says Mars Helicopter Is Now Healthier Than It Was Before Flight

![According to Bob Balaram, Ingenuity's chief engineer at JPL, NASA's Mars helicopter has managed to shake off some dust that accumulated on its solar panels.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/nasa-mars-helicopter-healthier-than-before-flight.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## First Flight

Early this morning, NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity [achieved the first-ever controlled flight](<https://futurism.com/nasa-mars-helicopter-flies-red-planet>) on the surface of another planet, a feat met with applause and cheers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the data started coming in.

Ingenuity perfectly executed its planned 30 second hover at ten feet above the Martian surface, caught on camera by NASA's Perseverance rover several hundred feet away — and now, officials say, it's in even better shape than it was before the flight.

https://youtu.be/wMnOo2zcjXA

## Excellent Recovery

According to Bob Balaram, Ingenuity's chief engineer at JPL, the "extremely healthy" helicopter managed to shake off some dust that had accumulated on its solar panels prior to the flight. That means it's now capable of "producing even more solar energy than before."

Charging its batteries is crucial, because Ingenuity relies on its batteries not only to take flight but also to keep its internals from freezing during Mars' frigid nights.

## Flawless Victory

The helicopter is otherwise in sound mechanical shape, NASA staff said. Landing gear and all other mechanisms are also "doing great," with computers and avionics behaving "flawlessly," according to Balaram.

"So all in all, it's in a perfect state and I'm just really excited to see what all she can teach us over the next few weeks as we explore aerial mobility on Mars," Balaram added.

**More on Ingenuity:** *[New Video Shows Mars Helicopter Flight in Even Greater Detail](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-video-nasa-mars-helicopter-higher-resolution>)*

## 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>)