Ingenuity flew 72 occasions over three years whereas inspecting the floor of Mars.
After hovering by means of Martian skies for the previous three years, Ingenuity’s working time on the Red Planet has come to an finish. NASA says that whereas the helicopter nonetheless maintains communication with mission specialists right here on Earth, latest photographs returned from the craft present irreparable injury to one in all its rotoblades. That renders the chopper unable to fly throughout Mars’ horizon.
The helicopter was created and launched to Mars as part of NASA’s wider Perseverance rover mission, and was initially designed to fly simply 5 occasions over the span of 30 days. Since touchdown on the Martian floor almost three years in the past, Ingenuity has flown 14 occasions longer than anticipated over the span of 72 flights.
“The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated in a press launch. “That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible. Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.”
Attached to the stomach of the Perseverance rover, Ingenuity was in a position to take its first flight on April 19, 2021 after touchdown that February.
“It’s humbling Ingenuity not only carries onboard a swatch from the original Wright Flyer, but also this helicopter followed in its footsteps and proved flight is possible on another world,” added Ingenuity’s undertaking supervisor, Teddy Tzanetos of NASA JPL. “The Mars helicopter would have never flown once, much less 72 times, if it were not for the passion and dedication of the Ingenuity and Perseverance teams. History’s first Mars helicopter will leave behind an indelible mark on the future of space exploration and will inspire fleets of aircraft on Mars – and other worlds – for decades to come.”
While Ingenuity has been completely benched, the Perseverance mission remains to be amassing floor samples NASA hopes to retrieve throughout the subsequent decade.
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