It looks a bit like a mosquito: The mini helicopter “Ingenuity” sent to Mars by NASA is no longer flying. I have the aircraft Damage to “one or more” rotor blades suffered, the US space agency announced on Thursday. After 72 flights on the Red Planet, “Ingenuity” is no longer able to fly.
The mini helicopter landed on Mars in February 2021 together with the “Perseverance” rover. “What Ingenuity has done far exceeds anything we thought possible.”said NASA boss Bill Nelson in a video. The mini-helicopter “opened the way for future flights in our solar system.”
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“Ingenuity” reached a height of twelve meters on its last flight last week – Shortly before its landing, the Mars rover “Perseverance” suddenly lost contact with the mini helicopter. The NASA experts managed to reestablish the connection, but according to their findings, “Ingenuity” can no longer fly.
Mars exploration with the “Perseverance” rover
The helicopter, which resembles a drone, landed on the Red Planet in February 2021 together with the “Perseverance” rover and supported it as an “aerial reconnaissance vehicle”. Search for signs of possible life on Mars. The data collected by Ingenuity was sent to Earth by Perseverance.
At the beginning of the mission it was as original goal spent on the helicopter, which weighs only 1.8 kilograms, to complete 50 flights on Mars within 30 days. He has far exceeded this with his 72 flights. In total, “Ingenuity” covered more than 17 kilometers and reached heights of up to 24 meters. (AFP)