NASA’s Ingenuity Mars lander makes contact
- June 30, 2023
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Brave rotorcraft could take to the skies again in the next few weeks. The 52nd flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has successfully made its way into the
Brave rotorcraft could take to the skies again in the next few weeks. The 52nd flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has successfully made its way into the official mission log. The flight took place on April 26, but mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California lost contact with the helicopter as it descended to the surface for landing.
The Ingenuity crew expected communication to be lost as there was a hill between the helicopter landing site and the location of the Perseverance rover, blocking communication between them. The rover acts as a radio relay between the helicopter and mission controllers at JPL. In anticipation of this loss of communication, the Ingenuity team devised a plan to re-establish contact when the rover was back in range. Contact resumed on June 28, when Perseverance came to the top and saw Ingenuity again.
A flight of 363 meters and a flight of 139 seconds, the purpose of Flight 52 was to reposition the helicopter and take pictures of the Martian surface for the rover’s science team.
“The portion of Jezero Crater currently being explored by rover and helicopter has very rough terrain that makes communication possible,” said Ingenuity team leader Josh Anderson of JPL. “The team’s goal is to overcome persistence, which sometimes requires a temporary break from communication. We are very pleased to be in touch with Ingenuity again and to have Flight 52’s approval.”
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars lander is seen in shadow in an image taken by the navigation camera during the 52nd rotorcraft flight on April 26.
Sixty-three days is a long time to wait for the results of the flight, but incoming data shows that the first plane in another world is complete. If Ingenuity’s other health tests come back similarly positive, the helicopter could fly again in the next few weeks.
Flight 53’s target is a temporary airspace to the west, and from there the team plans to make another flight west to a new base of operations near the rock outcrop the Perseverance team is interested in exploring. Source
Source: Port Altele
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