2024-02-04 14:01:00
Ingenuity ends its mission following 3 years and 72 completed flights. Credit: NASA/Mission to Mars Roberta Duarte Meteored Brazil 02/04/2024 11:01 6 min
On July 30, 2020, the Perseverance probe was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Perseverance carried with it the Ingenuity helicopter that was docked at the probe. On February 18, 2021, the probe and helicopter will land on Martian soil in the so-called Jezero crater.
Initially, the helicopter had a 1-month mission with regarding 5 experimental flights through the Martian atmosphere. Exceeding all expectations, the helicopter ended its mission this year following 3 years and 72 flights. The helicopter performed approximately 14 times more flights than expected when it was launched.
Images from NASA’s Perseverance rover show a powerful river on the surface of Mars
With photographs sent this week by the probes, NASA stated that the helicopter suffered damage to its engine propellers during landing. The damage prevents the helicopter from reaching flight, forcing NASA to end the mission which lasted 3 years. Ingenuity was noted as the first aircraft to take flight on another planet.
Perseverance Mission
In July 2020, the Perseverance probe was launched with the aim of searching for signs of life on Mars. Additionally, the probe collects rocks that might possibly be returned to Earth for study. The probe landed on Martian soil in February 2021, where it remains to this day studying the planet’s geology.
As it is a mission with big questions in Astronomy, both the launch and landing of Perseverance were followed with enthusiasm around the world. Another reason is that The probe carried with it the Ingenuity helicopter, which would become the first aircraft to fly on another planet.
Ingenuity
In April 2021, Ingenuity placed four feet on Martian soil and began its tests. Initially, The mission consisted of carrying out 5 experimental flights in a period of 30 days, ending the mission in May 2021. However, the tests were successful and Ingenuity would make another 67 flights, in addition to the 5, over 3 years.
Photo taken of Ingenuity by the Perseverance probe on Martian soil. Credit: NASA/Perseverance Rover
The main mission was to study how to control flights on another planet with a different atmosphere than ours. Mars has an atmosphere with a density 1% of Earth’s atmosphere. With this, the helicopter managed to reach a height of 24 meters and covered a radius of 300 meters.
About the mission
Ingenuity performed a total of 72 flights with a total of regarding 128.8 minutes of flight time. It covered a 300-meter region with the goal of finding places where the Perseverance probe might investigate and collect rocks. In total, she covered a region of 17 kilometers during these 3 years.
The helicopter weighs 1.8 kilograms and measures 1.2 meters. The helicopter’s battery is made of lithium and uses solar energy to charge. The helicopter continued to transmit and receive data, including photographs taken during the flights.
Ingenuity Photos
During the flights, the helicopter captured images of the Martian soil to identify regions that might be of interest. Ingenuity helped choose the best regions for Perseverance to search for rocks in addition to helping map part of the Martian soil.
Photo taken by the Ingenuity probe of the region called Faillefeu that was of geological interest to the team. Credit: Ingenuity/NASA
One of these photographs was of a region known as Faillefeu in which the team supervising the Perservance probe asked for more information. The idea would be to visit the probe and obtain geological information regarding the region. Ingenuity observed the region in September 2021 on its eighth flight.
Accident on January 18
On January 18, the team responsible for Ingenuity prepared to perform a vertical flight to investigate the location where it was located. This was necessary due to an emergency landing on the previous flight. The helicopter reached a maximum altitude of 12 meters and hovered for approximately 4.5 seconds.
NASA’s historic Ingenuity Helicopter has taken its last flight on Mars. After 72 incredible flights, that remarkable helicopter flew farther and higher than we ever thought possible. #ThanksIngenuity pic.twitter.com/eYwO9R6LY1
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) January 25, 2024
After the successful ascent, the helicopter began to lose altitude and upon reaching 1 meter the team lost contact with the helicopter. The next day Communication was established with the helicopter and the team concluded that the propellers were damaged. The team is still investigating the reason for the contact interference and fall.
End of a mission
With damaged propellers, Ingenuity ended its mission following 3 years . The mission is considered successful since the helicopter made more flights than expected. Furthermore, Ingenuity ends up demonstrating that it is possible to control airplanes in an atmosphere different from that of another planet.
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