NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter loses communications.
Ingenuity’s pilots lost contact with the 4-pound (1.8 kilogram) helicopter Thursday (January 18) toward the end of its 72nd flight on Mars.
“During flight, data Ingenuity transmitted to the rover Perseverance (which acts as a repeater between the helicopter and Earth) was successfully transmitted to the rover’s assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters). “This indicates an increase in the Earth’s temperature,” NASA officials wrote. Updated on Friday (January 19th).
“During the planned descent, communications between the helicopter and the spacecraft ended early before landing,” they added. “The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to re-establish communications with the helicopter.”
related: Mars helicopter “Ingenuity” breaks 63 days of silence and calls home
Ingenuity and Perseverance landed together at the floor of the 28-mile (45-kilometer) wide Jezero Crater in February 2021. The crater was home to a large lake and delta billions of years ago.
Perseverance is searching for evidence of past life on Mars and collecting samples for a future return to Earth. Ingenuity is serving as a scout for the car-sized rover in an extended mission granted by NASA after the tiny helicopter completed an initial five-flight technology demonstration campaign in spring 2021.
Maybe it’s time for Perseverance to return the favor and help his little robot cousin.
“Perseverance is currently out of sight of Ingenuity, but the team may consider getting closer for a visual inspection,” said NASA Jet Propulsion Research, the Southern California-based company that manages missions for both robots. Tokoro said. said Friday via X.
Ingenuity remained airborne for more than 128 minutes during its 72 missions to Mars, flying a total of 11 miles (17.7 kilometers), according to the company. Mission flight record.
It is unclear at this point whether this number will continue to increase. We’ll have to wait and see if Ingenuity officials will be able to reconnect with the pioneering helicopter, the first vehicle to explore the skies of a world beyond Earth.