NASA Regains Contact with Mars Helicopter Ingenuity After Communication Loss
NASA has successfully reestablished contact with its Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, after a brief loss of communication during its most recent flight. The incident occurred during Flight 72, which was intended to check the helicopter’s systems after Flight 71 was cut short due to navigation difficulties.
During Flight 72, Ingenuity flew up to an altitude of 12 meters and back in just over 32 seconds before losing communication. However, on Saturday, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced that the rover Perseverance, responsible for relaying data between Earth and Ingenuity, had regained contact with the helicopter. JPL is currently reviewing the data to understand the cause of the communication dropout.
Perseverance and Ingenuity arrived on Mars in February 2021, and Ingenuity’s achievements have been groundbreaking. It is the first autonomous motorized vehicle and the first helicopter to fly on a planet other than Earth. In December, NASA celebrated their 1000th day of operations on Mars, where they are stationed at Jezero Crater.
The mission’s objective is to search for signs of ancient life and collect rock and dust samples for possible return to Earth. Perseverance’s path can be tracked using a map created with images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express High Resolution Stereo camera.
In other Mars-related news, the European Space Agency recently announced that its Mars Express orbiter discovered large ice water deposits below the Martian surface at the equator. This finding represents the most significant amount of water ever found in this region of the planet. Scientists initially believed these deposits were massive unidentified water sources up to 2.5km deep when they studied the Medusae Fossae Formation in 2007.
However, radar analysis has since revealed that these deposits are actually ice, estimated to be 3.7km deep. The amount of water is so substantial that it could fill Earth’s Red Sea. The radar also showed that the formation consists of alternating layers of ice and dust, covered by a protective layer of dry dust or ash several hundred meters deep. These findings not only provide insights into Mars’ past climate but also offer valuable resources for future missions to the planet.
Unfortunately, accessing these ice deposits is currently challenging due to the thick layer of dust covering them. However, each discovery of ice helps scientists better understand Mars’ water history and potential locations for water today.
The recent reestablishment of contact with Ingenuity and the discovery of significant ice water deposits on Mars demonstrate the ongoing progress and discoveries being made in space exploration. As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of the red planet, these findings pave the way for future missions and a deeper understanding of Mars’ potential for supporting life.