Ingenuity's Crash on Mars: A New Role as a Long-Term Weather Station
TL;DR Summary
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has been permanently grounded on Mars after its 72nd flight ended abruptly due to navigation errors caused by the featureless Martian terrain. The helicopter's rotor blades were damaged, with one completely detached, following a hard landing on a sand ripple. Despite being designed for only five flights, Ingenuity completed 72, showcasing the potential of using commercial off-the-shelf components in space missions. While it will no longer fly, Ingenuity continues to transmit data to the Perseverance rover, and its success has inspired future Mars rotorcraft projects.
- Ingenuity helicopter's flying days cut short by featureless Martian terrain The Register
- After accident on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter could live on as a weather station for 20 years Space.com
- JPL completes investigation of Ingenuity’s final flight SpaceNews
- NASA thinks it’s figured out why the Mars helicopter crashed The Verge
- Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Crash Helps Us Learn About The Red Planet ScienceAlert
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