NASA’s Mars helicopter soars higher, longer on 2nd flight

Cape Canaveral (AP): NASA’s little Mars helicopter aced its second test flight Thursday, soaring even higher and longer than before.

The 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) chopper, named Ingenuity, hovered longer and also flew side to side this time, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It achieved the intended altitude of 16 feet (5 meters) and even accelerated sideways 7 feet (2 meters).

This hop lasted 52 seconds, 13 seconds longer than the first one.