NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, originally designed for just five flights over 30 days, exceeded expectations by lasting nearly three years on Mars. The helicopter completed a total of 72 flights before a hard or tilted landing damaged one or more rotors, leading to the end of its mission. Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed pride in the helicopter’s achievements, stating that Ingenuity has unlocked the skies of Mars just as the Wright brothers did on Earth. Although Ingenuity will not fly again, NASA is already working on new generations of Mars helicopters.
Weighing only 4 pounds, Ingenuity was built at JPL and transported to Mars attached to NASA’s Perseverance rover, which landed on the Red Planet in February 2021. The solar-powered helicopter was constructed using mostly off-the-shelf components to minimize costs. After being dropped to the surface of Mars, Ingenuity successfully completed its first test flight on April 19, 2021, demonstrating the feasibility of flying in the thin Martian atmosphere.
The Martian atmosphere presents unique challenges for helicopter flight due to its thinness. On Earth, helicopters typically cannot generate enough lift to fly above 25,000 feet, while the Martian atmosphere is comparable to an altitude of 80,000 to 90,000 feet on Earth, according to JPL Director Laurie Leshin.
Despite its initial mission requirement of only five flights, Ingenuity surpassed expectations and became a scout for the Perseverance rover, providing imagery of upcoming routes. The helicopter continued its flights for nearly three years, aiding Perseverance in its search for signs of past habitability and collecting rock and soil samples for future return to Earth.
On January 18, during its 71st flight, Ingenuity made an emergency landing, after which controllers attempted a short vertical flight to determine its precise location. However, the helicopter dropped out of contact at an altitude of around 3 feet. Subsequent imagery revealed damage to one or more rotor blades, potentially caused by an off-kilter landing. The loss of a significant portion of its thrust capacity and compromised control capabilities led engineers to conclude that Ingenuity would be unable to fly again.
As of Thursday night, it has been 1,000 Martian days since Ingenuity landed on Mars. Engineers remain in radio contact and may attempt to spin the blades briefly to assess the rotor damage. However, as Perseverance continues its exploration and moves farther from Ingenuity, contact will eventually be lost. Despite the bittersweet moment, Tzanetos acknowledged the remarkable journey of Ingenuity and emphasized the need to celebrate its achievements.
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published on Source link
