How does NASA's Ingenuity helicopter fly on Mars?

The Ingenuity helicopter on Mars uses spinning blades to fly, just like a toy helicopter you might have at home.

On Earth, helicopters use big spinning blades to push air down and lift up. On Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter has tiny blades that spin really fast, like a tiny fan, to move through the thin Martian air. Because the air on Mars is much thinner than on Earth, the blades need to spin much faster to create enough lift.

When the blades spin, they push the air down, and the helicopter goes up. It’s like when you jump on a trampoline, the more you push down, the higher you go up! Ingenuity uses this same idea but in space. It flies about 10 feet above the ground, takes pictures, and then lands again.

The helicopter is very light, like a small toy, so it doesn’t need much power to take off or land. That’s why it can fly on Mars even with its tiny blades!