--- title: "NASA’s Mars Helicopter Is Online and Just Sent Back a Photo" description: "NASA's Mars helicopter dubbed Ingenuity is online and just snapped its first color photo over the weekend." date: "2021-04-06" modified: "2021-04-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasas-mars-helicopter-online-sent-back-photo" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "ingenuity" - "mars" - "NASA" - "perseverance" - "the digest" --- # NASA’s Mars Helicopter Is Online and Just Sent Back a Photo ![NASA's Mars helicopter dubbed Ingenuity is online and just snapped its first color photo over the weekend.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## First Color Snap NASA's Mars helicopter, dubbed Ingenuity, is online and just snapped its first color photo over the weekend. The agency's Perseverance rover [recently lowered]() the four-pound rotocopter to fend for itself on the rugged Martian surface. Since then, it's [weathered its first chilly night alone]() in the surrounding Jezero Crater, where temperatures can drop down to -130 degrees Fahrenheit (-90 Celsius). ![]() Ingenuity probably won't win any photojournalism awards for its first color snap. The low-resolution image mostly shows gravel and the outline of Perseverance's shadow. "The image was taken on April 3, 2021, while the solar-powered rotorcraft was still beneath the rover after being deployed," reads an [NASA blog post]() on the image. "A few higher-resolution images are expected to be acquired by this imager during each of Ingenuity’s test flights." ## First Flight As soon as April 11, Ingenuity will attempt its first-ever flight, the first time any vehicle will attempt to do so on the surface of another planet. Luckily, its electronics seem to have survived the brutal first night without the physical warmth and steady stream of power from Perseverance. The Ingenuity team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is excited for what comes next. Once the helicopter is put through a number of tests, it will power up its twin rotor blades for the very first time. And we wish it the best of luck on its maiden voyage. **READ MORE:** [Mars Helicopter Ingenuity snaps 1st color photo on Red Planet]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on Ingenuity:** *[NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Night On Its Own]()* ## 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]()