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MiMi Aung

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description MiMi Aung Overview

MiMi Aung is a Burmese-American aerospace engineer who served as project manager for NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ingenuity completed the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021, after arriving on Mars with the Perseverance rover. Aung led the team responsible for developing and testing the small autonomous rotorcraft for flight in the thin Martian atmosphere.

help MiMi Aung FAQ

What was MiMi Aung's role in NASA's Ingenuity mission?

MiMi Aung was the project manager for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. JPL, a division of Caltech, managed the helicopter technology demonstration for NASA. [NASA JPL press kit](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/mars_2020/ingenuity/landing/management/)

What historic event did Ingenuity achieve?

On April 19, 2021, Ingenuity became the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. It hovered above Jezero Crater on Mars during that first flight. [NASA JPL](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ingenuity/)

Why could MiMi Aung not fly Ingenuity with a joystick?

Radio communication with Mars takes too long for real-time manual control, and the helicopter is millions of miles from Earth. Ingenuity therefore uses onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems to fly autonomously. [NASA JPL](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ingenuity/)

How was Ingenuity connected to the Perseverance rover?

Ingenuity was carried to Mars attached beneath NASA's Perseverance rover and deployed on April 4, 2021. Its flight tests were technologically independent from Perseverance's main scientific mission. [NASA JPL](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ingenuity/)

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