2024-01-22 10:14:43
NASA temporarily lost communication with its Ingenuity helicopter, deployed in Mars’ Jezero Crater since 2021 along with the Perseverance rover.
Ingenuity executed its 72nd flight on January 18, but on its descent, communication between the helicopter and the Perseverance rover was unexpectedly interrupted before landing.
It was a short up and down maneuver at an altitude of 12 meters for 32 seconds, in an area outside the field of view of the rover’s cameras.
Although the possibility of directing Perseverance to the area where the helicopter was located was considered, the team on Earth analyzed all the available data and chose to direct Persevernace to carry out long-term listening sessions, which allowed contact to be regained on February 21, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) reported on its X account.
The first controlled powered flight aircraft on another world, Ingenuity measures half a meter tall and weighs 1.8 kilos. It has six lithium-ion batteries that are charged with solar energy. Its four carbon fiber blades are arranged in two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm, much faster than a helicopter on Earth.
Since April 2021, the Mars helicopter has logged more than 128 minutes of flight, covering 17 km and reaching altitudes of up to 24 meters. It contributes with its images to plan the surface exploration of the Perseverance rover.
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