Today is a sad day. Nasa’s little Mars helicopter has flown its last flight.
Ingenuity, which weighs in at just 1.8kg, made history when becoming the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Well, the first human aircraft, we can’t be sure what’s going on outside our solar system.
Nasa revealed last night that the helicopter suffered rotor blade damage during its most recent flight on January 18, meaning it will now remain Mars-bound.
Although it remains upright and in contact with flight controllers, its $85 million mission is officially over, officials said.
‘While we knew this day was inevitable, it doesn’t make it any easier,’ said Nasa’s Lori Glaze.
‘It’s almost an understatement to say that it has surpassed expectations.’
Intended as a short-term proof of concept – that powered flight was possible in the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere – Nasa planned for up to five flights on the Red Planet over a month.
But Ingenuity, a major overachiever, logged 72 flights over three years.
It accumulated more than two hours of flight time, traveling 11 miles. That is more than 14 times farther than planned, according to Nasa.
It soared as high as 79ft and hit speeds of up to 22.4mph.
‘The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end,’ said Nasa administrator Bill Nelson. ‘That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped Nasa do what we do best – make the impossible, possible.
‘Through missions like Ingenuity, Nasa is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.’
Ingenuity hitched a ride on Nasa’s Perseverance rover, landing on Mars in 2021.
It ended up serving as a scout for the rover, helping it navigate across the harsh terrain in the Jezero crater as it searches for evidence of alien life.
The helicopter ascended to 40ft on its final flight last week, hovering for a few seconds before descending.
But images beamed back this week showed that one or more of its rotor blades suffered damage while landing and may have hit the surface.
The blades are no longer usable.
It unexpectedly lost contact with the nearby rover – its communication relay – while still 3ft off the ground. Once communication was restored, the damage was confirmed. The reason for the loss of communication is under investigation.
Could Martians sick of the helicopter buzzing around their back yard in the same way drones annoy us could be responsible?
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