NASA Ingenuity helicopter, which has been flying on Mars, faced a communication problem during its latest flight on 20 January 2024.
NASA said on Saturday that they are looking at the data and trying to fix the issue. The helicopter, which weighs only 1.8 kilograms, flew up to 12 meters high before it stopped sending signals.
The Perseverance rover, which acts as a link between the helicopter and Earth, also lost the connection when the helicopter was coming down.
NASA Ingenuity Helicopter is a small, autonomous aircraft that was sent to Mars as part of the Mars 2020 mission.
It was designed to test the possibility of flying in the very thin atmosphere of Mars, which is only 0.6% of Earth’s. It made history by becoming the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021.
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NASA Ingenuity Helicopter: A Historic Flight on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, also known as Ginny, is a small, autonomous aircraft that has been flying on Mars since April 19, 2021.
It is the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet, a feat that has been compared to the Wright Brothers’ first flight on Earth.
Ingenuity was sent to Mars as part of the Mars 2020 mission, which also includes the Perseverance rover.
The helicopter arrived on the Martian surface attached to the underside of the rover, which landed on February 18, 2021. The helicopter was deployed to the surface on April 3, 2021.
The main goal of Ingenuity was to test the possibility of flying in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, which is only 0.6% as dense as the air on Earth.
This means that the helicopter has to spin its blades much faster and use more power to generate enough lift to stay in the air. It also has to fly autonomously, without direct human control, because of the long delay in radio signals between Earth and Mars.
