NASA’s Historic Ingenuity Helicopter Makes Final Flight on Mars, Ending Groundbreaking Mission

SPACE — NASA’s pilot helicopter on another planet, Ingenuity, has made its final flight on Mars. The first robot that flew in the sky of an alien world suffered from damage to the rotor blades so that it was no longer able to fly.

“The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first spacecraft on another planet, has ended,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson when announcing the end of the mission, Thursday, January 25 2024 local time.

Nelson said the tiny helicopter flew higher and farther above the surface of Mars than ever imagined. He helped NASA create a concept for future flights on the planet. “Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flights across our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration of Mars and beyond,” he said.

Ingenuity landed with NASA’s Perseverance rover robot at the bottom of Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021. The 1.8 kilogram helicopter was tasked with testing the possibility of electric-powered flights being possible on Mars, where the atmosphere is thin.

Also read: NASA loses contact with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars

Ingenuity was given 30 days and it completed its main mission by making five flights that year. NASA later assigned an additional mission as a reconnaissance helicopter to Perseverance that hunts for life and collects samples.

Ingenuity has flown 67 times during its new mission, far exceeding the expectations of the mission’s scientists and engineers. In total, the helicopter has been operating on the surface of Mars for almost three years.

Ingenuity Flight Notes:

– Fly 72 times.
– Total flight time 129 minutes.
– The total distance traveled is around 17.7 kilometers.

Photo showing the shadow of a damaged rotor on NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Ingenuity experienced several problems during its final flight on January 18, 2024. “During the problem, communications between the helicopter and the Perseverance rover were stopped early, before landing,” NASA said.

Also read: Not hijacked by aliens, the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars is back under NASA control

The mission team managed to re-establish contact with Ingenuity, but the imagery collected showed the helicopter’s lifespan had ended. “One or more of its four rotor blades was damaged during landing,” NASA officials said Thursday.

Even though Ingenuity’s days of flying are over, its legacy remains assured. With knowledge from Ingenuity, NASA plans to send two more Ingenuity-like helicopters to help Perseverance collect samples to be brought to Earth.

2024-01-25 22:48:00
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