NASA's Ingenuity Crash Yields Insights for Future Mars Missions

NASA engineers have identified the cause of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's crash on January 18, 2024, as a navigation error due to featureless terrain, leading to incorrect velocity estimates and a hard landing. The crash resulted in damage to the rotor blades, which snapped due to excessive loads. Despite the crash, Ingenuity continues to transmit useful data to the Perseverance rover, aiding future Mars aircraft designs. Originally intended for five flights, Ingenuity completed 72 flights over nearly three years.