Ingenuity Mars Helicopter phones home

The 52nd flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is now within the official mission logbook as a hit. The flight passed off again on April 26, however mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California misplaced contact with the helicopter because it descended towards the floor for touchdown.

The Ingenuity group anticipated the communications dropout as a result of a hill stood between the helicopter’s touchdown location and the Perseverance rover’s place, blocking communication between the 2. The rover acts as a radio relay between the helicopter and mission controllers at JPL. In anticipation of this lack of communications, the Ingenuity group had already developed re-contact plans for when the rover would drive again inside vary. Contact was re-established June 28 when Perseverance crested the hill and will see Ingenuity once more.

The objective of Flight 52, a 1,191-foot (363-meter) and 139-second-long flight, was to reposition the helicopter and take pictures of the Martian floor for the rover’s science group.

“The portion of Jezero Crater the rover and helicopter are at present exploring has plenty of rugged terrain, which makes communications dropouts extra seemingly,” stated JPL’s Josh Anderson, the Ingenuity group lead.

“The group’s objective is to maintain Ingenuity forward of Perseverance, which often includes briefly pushing past communication limits. We’re excited to be again in communications vary with Ingenuity and obtain affirmation of Flight 52.”

Sixty-three days is a very long time to attend for the outcomes of a flight, however the information coming in signifies all is effectively with the primary plane on one other world. If the rest of Ingenuity’s well being checks are equally rosy, the helicopter could fly once more throughout the subsequent couple of weeks.

The goal for Flight 53 is an interim airfield to the west, from which the group plans to carry out one other westward flight to a brand new base of operations close to a rocky outcrop the Perseverance group is thinking about exploring.