All articles tagged with #marshelicopter
NASA reestablished contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter after a two-day silence, following its 72nd flight. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is reviewing new data to understand the unexpected communication dropout during the flight, as the helicopter had lost contact with the Perseverance rover during its descent phase after achieving its predetermined altitude of 40 feet with precision.
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter, initially expected to perform just five flights, has completed its 70th flight, influencing the design of future Mars missions. Lessons learned from Ingenuity's extended mission are being applied to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) project, which will now include two helicopters for sample retrieval. These helicopters will serve as a backup to transport samples to a lander if the Perseverance rover is unable to do so. NASA is also reviewing the overall MSR architecture due to concerns about meeting the schedule and budget, with a revised plan expected by March. Meanwhile, budget constraints are causing NASA to proceed cautiously with funding at 2023 levels under a continuing resolution.