Absolutely sensational news from Mars this week. The tiny Ingenuity helicopter has successfully completed the very first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Mars possesses an atmosphere that is only about one percent the density of Earth's at the surface, making rotorcraft aerodynamics incredibly challenging. The blades had to spin at over 2,500 revolutions per minute just to generate enough lift.

Watching the telemetry come down and seeing the video of the little drone hovering above the rusty Martian dirt gave me genuine goosebumps. It opens up an entirely new dimension of planetary exploration.