Watch live at 2 pm ET! NASA to discuss Mars helicopter’s historic 1st flight, ,
NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity has successfully performed the first flight on the Red Planet on Monday (April 19) and you can watch the results come in live here, courtesy of NASA.
Ingenuity took flight on Mars at 3:30 a.m. EDT (0730 GMT), but with NASA confirming the flight about three hours later. NASA will host a press conference later today at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) to discuss how the flight went and what’s next for Ingenuity’s test flights.
The $85 million Ingenuity helicopter will be the first powered flight on another world and the first-ever aircraft on Mars. It is expected to make a very short first flight to reach a height of 10 feet and then land.
Related: How to watch the Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s first flight online
Join our forums here to discuss the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. What do you hope they find?
NASA is targeting no earlier than Monday, April 19, for the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at approximately 3:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 a.m. PDT).
Data from the first flight will return to Earth a few hours following the autonomous flight. A livestream will begin at 6:15 a.m. EDT (3:15 a.m. PDT), as the helicopter team prepares to receive the data downlink in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Watch on NASA Television, the agency app, website, and social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.
If the flight takes place April 19, a postflight briefing will be held at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT).
The participants are:
https://bit.ly/mars-landing-media
The public and media also may ask questions on social media during the livestream and briefing using #MarsHelicopter.
Find the latest schedule updates at:
https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Watch-Online
The original flight date of April 11 shifted as engineers worked on preflight checks and a solution to a command sequence issue. The Perseverance rover will provide support during flight operations, taking images, collecting environmental data, and hosting the base station that enables the helicopter to communicate with mission controllers on Earth.
This technology demonstration is supported by NASA’s Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. JPL, managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations for Ingenuity and the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
Follow Ingenuity via the @NASA, @NASAJPL, and @NASAMars Twitter accounts; NASA and NASAPersevere Facebook accounts; and NASA Instagram account.
An Ingenuity press kit is available at:
https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity-press-kit
NASA will hold a press conference today at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) to discuss the science launching on SpaceX’s Crew-2 astronaut mission to the International Space Station and you can watch it live here.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon Endeavour on Thursday, April 22 to ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station. Liftoff is at 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 GMT). The mission will be SpaceX’s third crewed flight for NASA and the second operational flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Called Crew-2, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet on a six-month mission to the space station.
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners. The flight follows certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch, on a Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station about 5:30 a.m. Friday, April. 23. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a six-month science mission.
All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below, and only a limited number of media will be accommodated at Kennedy due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Please note that the Kennedy Press Site facilities will remain closed throughout these events for the protection of Kennedy employees and journalists, except for a limited number of media who will receive confirmation in writing in the coming days.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Saturday, April 17
9:45 a.m. – Virtual Crew Media Engagement at Kennedy with Crew-2 astronauts:
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, spacecraft commanderNASA astronaut Megan McArthur, pilotJAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, mission specialistESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, mission specialistMonday, April 19
1 p.m. – Science Media Teleconference to discuss investigations Crew-2 will support during their mission
David Brady, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at Johnson will discuss how the Commercial Crew Program is boosting research aboard the orbiting laboratory. ISS U.S. National Laboratory Senior Program Director Dr. Liz Warren will discuss Tissue Engineering, which uses a combination of cells, engineering, and materials to restore, maintain, improve, or replace biological tissues. Scientists will leverage microgravity, which allows cells to grow without scaffolding and in ways that mimic tissues in the human body.Dr. Lucie Low from the National Institutes of Health will discuss Tissue Chips, complex bioengineered 3D models that mimic the structure and function of human organ systems. Scientists use tissue chips to test the potential effects of drugs on those tissues and to study diseases.ISS Program Scientist for Earth Observations Dr. William Stefanov will discuss Crew Earth Observations. Astronauts have taken more than 3.5 million images of Earth from the space station, contributing to one of the longest-running records of how Earth has changed over time.NASA Project Manager for ISS Power Augmentation Bryan Griffith and Boeing’s director for the ISS Structural and Mechanical Development Project Rick Golden will discuss the ISS Roll-out Solar Array compact solar panels that roll open like a yoga mat. In 2017, the basic design underwent testing on the space station to determine its strength and durability, and NASA will deliver the first two of six new arrays that will be delivered this summer to augment the station’s power.Tuesday, April 20
TBD – Prelaunch News Conference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, KennedyJoel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, JohnsonKirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, JohnsonNorm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, JohnsonBenji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceXJunichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXAFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESABrian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Weather SquadronWednesday, April 21
10 a.m. – Administrator Countdown Clock Briefing with the following participants (limited, previously confirmed in-person media only):
Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administratorBob Cabana, Kennedy center directorHiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology DirectorateFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESANASA astronautNASA astronautNo teleconference option is available for this event.
Thursday, April 22
2 a.m. – NASA Television launch coverage begins. NASA Television will have continuous coverage, including docking, hatch opening, and welcome ceremony.
7:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:
Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administratorKathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersHiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology DirectorateFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESASpaceX representativeFriday, April 23
5:30 a.m. – Docking
7:35 a.m. – Hatch Opening
8:05 a.m. – Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station with the following participants:
Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersHiroshi Yamakawa, president, JAXAJosef Aschbacher, director general, ESANASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 2 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:
Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the “ISS Live” broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.
“Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During ‘loss of signal’ periods, viewers will see a blue screen.
“Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.”
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