NASA’s Mars Helicopter Team Says Goodbye | NASA/JPL
The Mars Ingenuity Helicopter flew for the last time on Jan. 18, 2024, and NASA concluded its flight operations after post-flight imagery confirmed damage to at least one of the rotorcraft’s rotor blades that rendered it no longer capable of flight. As the historic mission comes to its end, Ingenuity’s team reflects on some of their favorite moments and memories from the helicopter’s time on Mars.
Designed as a technology demonstration that was expected to fly no more than five times over 30 days, the helicopter’s primary mission was to prove that powered, controlled flight on another planet was possible. It accomplished this on April 19, 2021. However, Ingenuity exceeded expectations and transitioned into an operations demonstration – completing 72 flights in just under three years and paving the way for future aerial exploration on the Red Planet and beyond.
NASA invites the public to celebrate Ingenuity’s legacy by sharing messages on social media with the hashtag #ThanksIngenuity.
For more information on Ingenuity, go to: mars.nasa.gov/ingenuity
Ingenuity's flights repeatedly proved its ability to fly in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, over a hundred million miles from Earth, without direct human control. Because radio signals take between 5–20 minutes to travel between Earth and Mars—depending on planetary positions—Ingenuity had to operate autonomously, performing maneuvers planned, scripted and transmitted to it by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, and it also managed this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It was supported by NASA’s Science, Aeronautics, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.
Ingenuity's rotors measure 1.2 m (4 ft), and its entire body is 0.49 m (1 ft 7 in) tall. Its fuselage measures 13.6 cm × 19.5 cm × 16.3 cm (5.4 in × 7.7 in × 6.4 in), with four landing legs of 0.384 m (1 ft 3.1 in) each. It is operated by solar-charged batteries that power dual counter-rotating rotors mounted one above the other.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.
Launch: July 30, 2020
Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars
Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech; WATSON images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; Mastcam-Z images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Jan. 25, 2024
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