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NASA reports on Ingenuity Mars helicopter accident
- NASA engineers have determined that the Ingenuity Mars helicopter was permanently grounded due to navigation system problems, which caused it to sustain damage to its rotor blades, rendering it inoperable.
- The Ingenuity, which conducted the first ever powered, controlled flight on another planet, was only scheduled for five test flights but far exceeded expectations managing 72 flights over almost three years.
- The accident's cause relates to the lack of surface texture at a section of Jezero Crater, changing the visual features the helicopter's navigation systems were monitoring.
- The navigation system design was optimised for pebbly terrain, which was the case for the first five flights but by flight number 72, the Ingenuity reached a section of Jezero Crater which had steep, mostly featureless sand ripples.
- Lack of features to track on the surface caused the navigation system to fail, creating high horizontal velocities at touchdown, causing the helicopter to pitch and ultimately roll, snapping all four rotor blades off.
- NASA plans to release a technical report about Ingenuity's final flight in a few weeks.
- Although Ingenuity is currently grounded, it continues to transmit weekly weather data to the Perseverance rover and sends aviation electronics information, which engineers are using to design the next generation Martian aircraft.
- A somwhat larger Mars Chopper rotorcraft is currently being designed and would be able to fly autonomously up to two miles per day.
- Ingenuity's mission extension allowed it to act as an aerial scout for the Perseverance rover, and scientists are now using data collected during the aircraft's 72 flights to improve navigation systems for future flights.
- NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter exceeded expectations during its lifespan, and plans for a second generation helicopter are already underway.
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