NASA's Ingenuity helicopter now one step closer to first flight

Over the weekend, NASA's Perseverance rover dropped the debris shield that protected the Ingenuity helicopter during the rover's historic landing on the red planet. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) lead engineers for the Ingenuity mission, Farah Alibay and Timothy Canham said the helicopter has cleared all the system checks prior to its first powered flight. For now, the helicopter remains attached to Perseverance's underbelly.