2024-01-20 21:21:00
Ingenuity was originally only supposed to take off five times, but the mission exceeded all expectations. In total, the helicopter traveled some 17 kilometers and thus became the traveling companion of the Perseverance rover.
NASA lost contact with its small helicopter named Ingenuity on Mars, while it was making its 72nd flight, the space agency announced, saying it was looking for a way to reestablish communication.
The helicopter, which looks like a large drone, became in 2021 the first motorized vehicle to fly on another planet. He had arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover, which serves as a relay to transmit data between the helicopter and Earth.
Ingenuity reached an altitude of 12 meters during its flight this Thursday, January 18, NASA explained in a message published this Friday evening.
But “during its descent, communications between the helicopter and the rover ended earlier, before landing,” NASA wrote.
Data analysis
The teams in charge of the helicopter “are analyzing the available data and considering the next steps to reestablish communication with the helicopter,” added the American space agency.
The flight was planned to “check the helicopter’s systems, following landing earlier than planned during the previous flight,” she said.
On X (ex-Twitter)NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in charge of the machine, also indicated that the Perseverance rover might not currently see Ingenuity, but that its teams “might consider driving closer for a visual inspection”.
NASA has already temporarily lost contact with the helicopter in the past, notably for a long period of around two months last year, but this interruption was then planned.
Remarkable longevity
Ingenuity, which weighs just 1.8 kg, was originally only supposed to take off five times, but the mission exceeded all expectations. In total, the helicopter traveled some 17 kilometers, and flew up to an altitude of 24 meters.
Its longevity is remarkable, especially knowing that it must survive freezing Martian nights, warming itself thanks to solar panels charging its batteries during the day.
He thus became the traveling companion of the Perseverance rover, whose mission is to search for traces of ancient life on Mars.
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