Something happened to the first ever helicopter to fly in the atmosphere of an alien planet. He suddenly stopped reporting from the surface of Mars. NASA, which sent it into space, is now trying to figure out why.
NASA has lost contact with the Ingenuity helicopter, which it uses in cooperation with the Perseverance rover to explore the planet Mars. The website informed about the problems Space.com.
“On January 18, the helicopter made its 72nd flight on the red planet. The flight was supposed to be short, mostly vertical and mainly to check the systems after an unplanned early landing during the previous flight,” she said NASA to the circumstances of the loss of communication.
“The Ingenuity data sent to the Perseverance rover (which transmits it further to Earth) shows that the machine successfully ascended to the assigned maximum height of 12 meters. However, during the planned descent, communication between the helicopter and the rover was terminated before landing,” the space agency added to the loss itself. with the team in charge of the small helicopter now analyzing the whole situation.
Both probes have been exploring the red planet since 2021, when they landed together in the Jezero crater. The lake itself should have been in this area billions of years ago. The helicopter assisted the Perseverance rover in planning its next course of action. But it is true that it is not essential for the mission. At first, NASA wasn’t sure if it could handle more than five flights. But he has already surpassed this number more than ten times.
The Perseverance rover can help reveal exactly what happened. According to the agency, the probe does not yet have the helicopter in sight. But the mission team is considering sending her to Ingenuity.
Last October, NASA launched a probe into space. To land on a small planet:
TN.cz
2024-01-20 17:09:00
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