Highlights: NASA Ingenuity helicopter completes historic mission to Mars. The small helicopter will no longer fly above the Red Planet, due to a problem. During its 72nd flight last week, the helicopter reached an altitude of 12 meters, but communication was abruptly interrupted shortly before landing. The helicopter is now “no longer capable of flying,” NASA confirmed in a press release, specifying that the causes of the interruption of communication were still being studied. Weighing only 1.8 kg, the aircraft looked more like a large drone. In total, he covered some 17 kilometers and flew to a height of 24 meters.

This is the end of a mission that has exceeded all expectations: after almost three years on Mars, the small helicopter Ingenuity will no longer fly above the Red Planet, due to a problem that occurred...

NASA Ingenuity helicopter completes historic mission to Mars

This is the end of a mission that exceeded all expectations: after almost three years on Mars, the small helicopter Ingenuity will no longer fly above the Red Planet, due to a problem that occurred during its 72nd flight, announced NASA this Thursday, January 25.

The flight of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, April 22, 2021. © AP/Nasa/JPL-Caltech/ASU

By: RFI Follow

It withstood the freezing Martian nights by warming itself thanks to the solar panels which charged its batteries during the day. Almost three years after its arrival on the Red Planet and 72 flights, Ingenuity's mission ended this Thursday. “

What Ingenuity has accomplished far exceeds what we thought possible

,” NASA boss Bill Nelson underlined in a video. The helicopter “

paved the way for future flights in our solar system

.”

In 2021, Ingenuity became

the first motorized device to fly on another planet

. He thus proved that it was possible to fly in Martian air, with a density equivalent to only 1% of that of the Earth's atmosphere.

The helicopter was originally only supposed to take off five times, but given its very good performance, the mission was extended until today.

Also read: A world of tech - Ingenuity's free software

During its 72nd flight last week, the helicopter reached an altitude of 12 meters, but communication was abruptly interrupted shortly before landing. It was finally able to be restored the next day, but NASA teams were able to note “

damage

” to a rotor blade a few days later. “

We are looking into the possibility that the blade may have hit the ground

,” Bill Nelson said. The helicopter is now “no

longer capable of flying

,” NASA confirmed in a press release, specifying that the causes of the interruption of communication were still being studied.

Weighing only 1.8 kg, the helicopter looked more like a large drone. In total, he covered some 17 kilometers and flew to an altitude of 24 meters. His cumulative flight time amounts to more than two hours. He arrived on Mars in February 2021, with the Perseverance rover, whose mission is to look for traces of ancient microbial life on Mars. Ingenuity was thus able to play the role of aerial scout to help its wheeled companion. The latter is located “

too far away to try

” to visit the helicopter and photograph it, NASA said.

The American space agency is working on another flying machine project, as part of the Dragonfly mission, this time with Saturn's largest moon, Titan, as its destination.

(

With

AFP)

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NASA Ingenuity helicopter completes historic mission to Mars

NASA Ingenuity helicopter completes historic mission to Mars

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