NASA announced the completion of the Ingenuity helicopter’s mission after discovering that the latest mission caused damage to its rotor blades. Currently, NASA is still unaware of the cause of the signal loss during the 72nd mission, which turned out to be Ingenuity’s final mission. However, upon returning, they were able to download an image showing the shadow of the damaged rotor blades.
Ingenuity landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, alongside the Perseverance rover, and took its first flight on April 19, 2021. Originally scheduled for only 14 test flights, the extended duration allowed Ingenuity to overcome various challenges, including a difficult landing site, damaged sensors, sandstorm conditions, freezing Martian winters, and the need for emergency landings on three occasions.
The mission of Ingenuity was to prove that flight in the thin Martian atmosphere is indeed possible, despite its significant differences from Earth’s atmosphere.
TLDR: The Ingenuity helicopter’s mission has concluded after sustaining damage to its rotor blades. Despite the signal loss during its final mission, an image displaying the damaged blades was successfully downloaded. This mission aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of flight in Mars’ thin atmosphere.
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