How NASA's Mars Ingenuity became the little helicopter that could
Ingenuity, the tiny helicopter on Mars that became the first craft in history to make a powered flight on another world, has landed for the last time on the dry Martian surface and will fly no more.
It was a bittersweet ending on Jan. 18 for the 1.6-foot-tall helicopter, which flew more than 14 times farther than originally planned.
The 4-pound craft, which was carried to Mars by the Perseverance rover in February 2021, sustained damage to its 4-foot rotors in its 72nd and last flight, making them unusable. NASA made the announcement on Jan. 25.
"That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.
Paste BN looks back on the accomplishments of Ingenuity and its NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory team and how it exceeded its initial objectives:
Key moments for Mars Ingenuity helicopter
Ingenuity was sent to Mars as a test vehicle to see if controlled flight was possible. It carried no scientific instruments and was intended as a 30-day, short-term experiment.
Its thin carbon-fiber blades rotated at 2,400 rpm, allowing it to fly in the thin Martian atmosphere, which is 99% less dense than Earth’s. It also had to survive night temperatures of -130 degrees Fahrenheit and use its solar panel to charge its batteries.
Its first flight, a simple one, was on April 19, 2021. The craft rose 10 feet straight up in the air, hovered for 30 seconds, then landed.
The next four test flights lasted longer and were successful. NASA extended the Ingenuity mission on March 15, 2022. The helicopter acted as a scout and route planner for the Perseverance rover.
How were Ingenuity's rotor blades damaged?
“We believe with Flight 72, we had a blade strike with the surface of Mars,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity project manager, in a NASA livestream on Jan. 31. “We have images showing damage to our rotor blades.”
Based on images they've seen, the Ingenuity team suspects all four blades are damaged, Tzanetos said.
Ingenuity guides itself with its onboard computer. Controllers can transmit flight plans to the craft, but Mars is too far from Earth for direct guidance.
The helicopter uses a downward-pointing navigation camera and a laser altimeter to relay directional information to its computer. The craft used large rocks and other visual clues on the surface to navigate in flight.
On the 72nd mission, Ingenuity flew over a featureless stretch of sand that may have confused the navigational instruments, causing the craft to tip to one side while descending, allowing the thin carbon-fiber blades to strike. The craft briefly lost contact with Perseverance while landing, but communications were reestablished later.
What's next for Ingenuity?
Ingenuity landed upright in Neretva Vallis, a dry river valley that wanders into the western edge of Jezero Crater. Its systems are intact and it has power from its solar panel.
Controllers will test the helicopter's rotors by adjusting their angles and slowly rotating them. They won't attempt another flight.
"We're trying to understand what the moments of the impact looked like and the state of the rotor system," Tzanetos said.
Depending on science priorities, the Perseverance rover will be repositioned within sight of the helicopter, a few hundred yards away, and take video of rotor blade tests.
"That will show us the other side of the rotor system," Tzanetos said. That will allow more damage assessment. Other tests are being considered.
Will more helicopters be sent to Mars?
NASA plans to send the Sample Retrieval Lander to Mars in 2028. That spacecraft, about the size of a two-car garage, will land on the surface and be loaded with rock and soil samples collected by Perseverance.
It will then launch from Mars and take the samples back to Earth, with a planned arrival in 2033.
Two Sample Recovery Helicopters, about the same size as Ingenuity, will be sent with the Sample Retrieval Lander. They'll help Perseverance load samples into the lander. The helicopters will have wheels to allow them to travel short distances on the surface and arms with two-fingered grippers to carry sample tubes.
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SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; NASA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology; Associated Press; space.com; Planetary Society