Crash of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Offers New Insights Into the Red Planet
Even in its final moments, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter continues to contribute to our understanding of Mars.
The groundbreaking aircraft, designed for just five flights over 31 days, exceeded expectations by completing an astonishing 72 missions over nearly three years. Ingenuity’s extraordinary journey ended on January 18, 2024, during a routine flight in the thin Martian atmosphere.
Ingenuity’s Final Flight
Its final mission began as planned, with the helicopter ascending to 12 meters (40 feet), hovering for about 20 seconds, and capturing images of the Martian surface. However, complications arose during its descent. At just one meter above the ground, Ingenuity lost contact with the Perseverance rover, which serves as its communication relay to Earth. When connection was reestablished, images revealed the helicopter on the ground with severe damage to its rotors.
Engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and AeroVironment have been investigating the incident, marking the first-ever aircraft accident analysis conducted for another planet. “Running an accident investigation 100 million miles away is challenging,” said JPL cybernetics engineer Håvard Grip. “Without black boxes or eyewitnesses, we rely on available data. Our leading theory is that the lack of surface texture left the navigation system with insufficient information to function properly.”
Featureless Terrain Leads to Ingenuity’s Hard Landing
Ingenuity’s navigation system uses a downward-facing camera to take 30 frames per second, comparing the images to expected surface features to determine its position, velocity, and attitude. During its 72nd flight, the helicopter operated in a featureless, sandy area of Jezero Crater. Without distinct textures to track, Ingenuity miscalculated its descent speed, resulting in a hard landing.
This impact caused the helicopter to pitch and roll, snapping all four rotor blades at their weakest points. The vibration from the damaged rotors led one blade to detach entirely, overloading the helicopter’s electronics and severing its communication link.
Despite this setback, Ingenuity’s legacy endures. Its remaining instruments continue transmitting valuable data about Martian weather and its own systems, which will inform future missions. “Ingenuity’s design demonstrated that affordable, commercial off-the-shelf cellphone processors can operate in deep space,” noted JPL engineer Teddy Tzanetos. “Nearly four years of continuous operation prove that not everything needs to be heavy, radiation-hardened, or overbuilt to thrive in Mars’ harsh conditions.”
A detailed technical report on the crash is expected in the coming weeks, ensuring that Ingenuity’s final flight will contribute to advancing Mars exploration for years to come.
Read Original Article: Science Alert
Read More: Scitke
