Ingenuity helicopter’s Mars mission over after rotor blade injury, says NASA

NASA’s mini helicopter Ingenuity has made its final flight on Mars after one in all its rotor blades was broken.

It’s been on the Red Planet since February 2021, and two months later achieved the milestone of the first powered, managed flight on one other planet.

Ingenuity has flown 72 flights for a complete of 11 miles – 14 instances additional than deliberate in what was initially meant to be a 30-day mission.

The solar-powered plane was an enormous success for NASA and helped determine places for the Perseverance rover that accompanied it.

However, NASA boss Bill Nelson mentioned on Thursday its mission was now over after a picture from its digicam appeared to point out the damaged rotor.

The injury apparently occurred when it got here in to land earlier this month, with the craft briefly dropping contact with Perseverance in the course of the incident.

“We’re investigating the possibility that the blade struck the ground,” Mr Nelson mentioned.

The 1.8kg craft survived 1,000 Martian days, together with its winter season when temperatures can drop to -125C (-195F) close to the poles.

NASA consultants will do closing assessments on Ingenuity and obtain any final photographs.

The copter remains to be upright and involved with flight controllers, however NASA mentioned the Perseverance rover was presently too far-off to {photograph} its closing resting place.

“While we knew this day was inevitable, it doesn’t make it any easier to announce the end of the mission,” mentioned Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division.

“It’s almost an understatement to say that it has surpassed expectations.”