Part of Wright brothers’ 1st airplane on NASA’s Mars chopper

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A piece of the Wright brothers’ first airplane is on Mars.

Photo Courtesy: NASA Mars: Helicopter on the Martian Surface (Artist’s Concept): In this illustration, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter stands on the Red Planet’s surface as NASA’s Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away.

NASA revealed Tuesday that its experimental Martian helicopter holds a small swatch of fabric from the left bottom wing of the 1903 Wright Flyer.

The helicopter, named Ingenuity, hitched a ride to the red planet with the Perseverance rover, arriving last month.

It will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet around April 8. NASA says it will be a Wright brothers’ moment.

The Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio, donated the postage-size piece of muslin to mark the historical event.