The ultimate downlink shift by the Ingenuity workforce was a time to replicate on a extremely profitable mission — and to organize the primary plane on one other world for its new function.
Engineers engaged on NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter assembled for one final time in a management room on the company’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Tuesday, April 16, to observe a transmission from the history-making helicopter. Whereas the mission ended Jan. 25, the rotorcraft has remained in communication with the company’s Perseverance Mars rover, which serves as a base station for Ingenuity. This transmission, obtained by the antennas of NASA’s Deep House Community, marked the ultimate time the mission workforce could be working collectively on Ingenuity operations.
Now the helicopter is prepared for its closing act: to function a stationary testbed, accumulating knowledge that would profit future explorers of the Pink Planet.
“With apologies to Dylan Thomas, Ingenuity is not going to be going gently into that good Martian evening,” stated Josh Anderson, Ingenuity workforce lead at JPL. “It’s virtually unbelievable that after over 1,000 Martian days on the floor, 72 flights, and one tough touchdown, she nonetheless has one thing to present. And because of the dedication of this wonderful workforce, not solely did Ingenuity overachieve past our wildest desires, but additionally it could train us new classes within the years to come back.”
Initially designed as a short-lived expertise demonstration mission that may carry out as much as 5 experimental take a look at flights over 30 days, the primary plane on one other world operated from the Martian floor for nearly three years, flew greater than 14 occasions farther than the gap anticipated, and logged greater than two hours of whole flight time.
Ingenuity’s mission ended after the helicopter skilled a tough touchdown on its final flight, considerably damaging its rotor blades. Unable to fly, the rotorcraft will stay at “Valinor Hills” whereas the Perseverance rover drives out of communications vary because it continues to discover the western limb of Jezero Crater.
The workforce loved some “Ultimate Comms” chocolate cake whereas reviewing the newest knowledge from over 189 million miles (304 million kilometers) away. The telemetry confirmed {that a} software program replace beforehand beamed as much as Ingenuity was working as anticipated. The brand new software program accommodates instructions that direct the helicopter to proceed accumulating knowledge effectively after communications with the rover have ceased.
With the software program patch in place, Ingenuity will now get up day by day, activate its flight computer systems, and take a look at the efficiency of its photo voltaic panel, batteries, and digital tools. As well as, the helicopter will take an image of the floor with its shade digital camera and gather temperature knowledge from sensors positioned all through the rotorcraft. Ingenuity’s engineers and Mars scientists consider such long-term knowledge assortment couldn’t solely profit future designers of plane and different automobiles for the Pink Planet, but additionally present a long-term perspective on Martian climate patterns and mud motion.
Throughout this closing gathering, the workforce obtained a farewell message from Ingenuity that includes the names of people that labored on the mission. Mission controllers at JPL despatched the message to Perseverance the day earlier than, which handed it off to Ingenuity in order that it may transmit the farewell again to Earth.
If a essential electrical element on Ingenuity had been to fail sooner or later, inflicting knowledge assortment to cease, or if the helicopter finally loses energy due to mud accumulation on its photo voltaic panel, no matter info Ingenuity has collected will stay saved on board. The workforce has calculated Ingenuity’s reminiscence may doubtlessly maintain about 20 years’ price of day by day knowledge.
“Every time humanity revisits Valinor Hills — both with a rover, a brand new plane, or future astronauts — Ingenuity will likely be ready together with her final reward of knowledge, a closing testomony to the rationale we dare mighty issues,” stated Ingenuity’s venture supervisor, Teddy Tzanetos of JPL. “Thanks, Ingenuity, for uplifting a small group of individuals to beat seemingly insurmountable odds on the frontiers of area.”
Tzanetos and different Ingenuity alumni are at present researching how future Mars helicopters — together with the Mars Science Helicopter idea — may gain advantage explorations of the Pink Planet and past.
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was constructed by JPL, which additionally manages the venture for NASA Headquarters. It’s supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Analysis Middle in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Analysis Middle in Hampton, Virginia, offered important flight efficiency evaluation and technical help throughout Ingenuity’s growth. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero additionally offered design help and main car parts. Lockheed House designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Supply System. At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is this system govt for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter.
For extra details about Ingenuity:
https://mars.nasa.gov/expertise/helicopter
DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
2024-044
