11 days ago, January 18th The Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its 72nd and, it turns out, final flight. The helicopter is in a vertical position and communicating with the control center, but images taken on January 18, which reached the ground this week, show that at least one of the rotor blades was damaged during landing and that the plane is unable to fly.NASA said. The Ingenuity mission to Mars demonstrated that controlled flight using propellers is possible beyond Earth.
Creativity has been linked to the Perseverance rover's mission. Both devices landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. The spacecraft was scheduled to perform the actual mission, and the helicopter was attached to check whether flying in the Red Planet's atmosphere was possible at all. The density of the local atmosphere is only 1% of the density of Earth's atmosphere, so it was not known whether such a thin atmosphere could be used to obtain lift.
The Ingenuity weighs 1.8 kilograms and is equipped with two carbon fiber rotors. It rotates in two opposite directions at a speed of 2400 rpm. This is five times faster than helicopters on the ground. If it rotated more slowly, the drone might not have gotten far from Mars. However, if it spun faster, the rotor tips would approach the speed of sound, potentially creating a shock wave that would destabilize the car.
NASA engineers planned that the Ingenuity tests would last for 30 days, during which time they would be able to complete 5 flights, none of which would last longer than 90 seconds. The helicopter was not part of the Perseverance mission, and little was expected of it, so the equipment used to build it did not have to meet stringent requirements. Many helicopter components are made from commonly available materials. For example, it used a standard Snapdragon 801 processor. So, ironically, a helicopter that was supposed to simply fly had much more computing power than a rover conducting complex scientific research. Since the processor power far exceeds the power needed for the control itself, Ingenuity is also equipped with a camera that records images at 30 frames per second and navigation software that continuously analyzes the image. The helicopter's makers revealed that they purchased some items – such as a laser altimeter – from SparkFun Electronics, a company that produces electronics for toys.
Before Ingenuity, we could see Mars either from great distances using telescopes, from orbit, or from the surface of the planet itself. The helicopter allowed us to view it from a height of several meters. Ingenuity's success means that similar vehicles will be added to subsequent Mars missions. They will be used in both robotic missions and future manned missions. Helicopters will be able to conduct rapid reconnaissance within a radius of at least hundreds of meters, thanks to which the ground controller will find out, for example, whether it is worth sending a rover over the nearest hill or whether a rock that looks interesting from above is in reality Worth careful examination.
Ingenuity's final flight initially went as planned. The helicopter rose to a height of 12 metres, stayed there for 4.5 seconds, and then began to descend at a speed of 1 m/s. However, at an altitude of about one meter above the surface, it lost contact with the rover through which it communicates with Earth. The next day, communications were restored and telemetry data began flowing back to NASA. A week later, photos showing the damaged blades reached Earth. NASA is still investigating why the helicopter lost contact and its location when it landed on the planet's surface. During the unlucky flight, the helicopter landed in an area where there were no easily recognizable landmarks. You can see it in one of the attached pictures. This terrain caused problems for the automated navigation system.
Creativity has existed on Mars for approximately 1,000 Martian days (Martian days). During this time, its software was updated to automatically determine the landing site, the helicopter dealt with a faulty sensor, managed to recover from a sandstorm, had to make emergency landings three times, and survived the Martian winter. It was designed to fly in the spring — and no one expected it to survive the winter — so its computer would occasionally freeze and reset. NASA engineers dealt with these problems.
They will not be able to handle damaged shovels. The team responsible for the helicopter is now conducting final tests of its equipment to verify the condition it has remained in throughout this period, and is also downloading all the data stored in the helicopter’s memory. The Perseverance rover is currently too far away to take pictures with a helicopter.
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
