Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2021 April 3
   [2]The Ingenuity helicopter beneath the Perseverance rover on Mars. See
       Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Ingenuity on Sol 39
                Image Credit: [3]NASA / JPL-Caltech / [4]MSSS

   Explanation: [5]The Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, all four landing legs
   down, was captured here on sol 39 (March 30) slung beneath the belly of
   the Perseverance rover. [6]The near ground level view is a mosaic of
   images from the WATSON camera on the rover's SHERLOC robotic arm. Near
   the center of the frame the experimental helicopter is suspended just a
   few centimeters above the martian surface. Tracks from Perseverance
   extend beyond the rover's wheels with the rim of Jezero crater visible
   about 2 kilometers in the distance. [7]Ingenuity has a weight of 1.8
   kilograms or 4 pounds on Earth. That corresponds to a [8]weight of 0.68
   kilograms or 1.5 pounds [9]on Mars. With rotor blades spanning 1.2
   meters it will attempt to make the first powered flight of an aircraft
   [10]on another planet in the thin martian atmosphere, 1 percent as
   dense as Earth's, [11]no earlier than sol 48 (April 8).

                 Tomorrow's picture: In, Through, and Beyond
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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC
                           & [32]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2104/PIA24449.jpg
   3. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory-curiosity-rover-msl
   4. http://www.msss.com/
   5. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#helicopter
   6. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24449
   7. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Tech-Specs
   8. https://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/weight-mass.html
   9. https://sciencenotes.org/how-to-calculate-weight-on-other-planets/
  10. https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/288/its-cold-on-mars/
  11. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-prepares-for-first-flight
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210402.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210403
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210404.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. http://www.mtu.edu/