A small piece of aviation history is now on the Planet Mars.
NASA’s experimental helicopter, Ingenuity, will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Inside the helicopter is a piece of fabric from the wing of the 1903 Wright Flyer - the first airplane to make a powered, controlled flight on Earth.
Steve Lucht, is a curator at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton which donated the postage-stamp sized cloth.
“Not only did they make history on Earth but now they’re making history on another planet," he says.
"And their basic concepts of flight, and Aeronautics, and Aviation are still being used, in the sense that they’re using that propeller design on a Mars helicopter. So, we're more than thrilled that the Wright Brothers are being honored in such a way.”
NASA says around April 8, Ingenuity will separate from the Perseverance rover. It’ll take about six Earth-days to do. Then, much like the Wright Brothers, their goal will be to fly.
