On Tue, 20 Apr 2021 14:29:28 +1200, I wrote:
The first powered aircraft on Mars <https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/19/perseverance_computing_feature/> has proved its concept, taken flight for a few seconds, and made a controlled landing again.
And its flying days are not yet over <https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/11/nasas-stalwart-mars-helicopter-is-back-and-better-than-ever/>. It’s coming up to summer on that part of Mars, and the atmospheric density has fallen by a third (from 1.5% of Earth typical to 1.0%). According to the original plan, the craft should have given up operations by now. Yet the scientists have figured out a way to adapt the way it operates to the changed conditions, and it has since made two successful flights, for a total of 15 so far, travelling a total distance exceeding 3km across the Martian surface.