The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter sent its last message to Earth. The US space agency revealed that it will now act as a stationary data-gathering unit on the surface of the Red Planet.
On January 25, 2024, NASA announced the end of the mission of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced its findings. After this its last message came out.
Also read: NASA ends Mars helicopter mission: Ingenuity calls off flight after nearly three years of exploration
The Mars Helicopter, about the size of a tissue box, landed on Mars on April 19, 2021, aboard the Perseverance rover. The plane etched its name in history with the first powered flight on another planet.
The Ingenuity aircraft completed a total of 72 flights, but its initial goal was to conduct five test runs. Defying expectations, the mission flew for more than two hours. With this mission, researchers discovered signs of ancient microbial life.
Also read: Mars Ingenuity helicopter re-establishes contact with mission controllers: NASA
Its final image is one of a series of images taken from March 26, 2021, to April 3, 2024. The final image sequence shows the helicopter deployed on the surface of Mars.
The rover was deployed at the “Van Zyl Overlook” in Jezero Crater on Mars, where the plane’s flight was recorded with its cameras as it climbed to 3 metres, hovered briefly and then landed safely. Went down from form.
Also read: NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter falls on the surface of Mars before flight
The helicopter made its 59th flight to Mars on September 16, 2023, when it soared to its second-highest altitude of 66 feet (20 m).
Earlier in January, the US space agency had announced that the helicopter’s rotor blade was damaged and it could no longer fly.
On April 8, 2022, stunning footage of the Mars Helicopter’s navigation camera captured its 25th flight. The spacecraft traveled 704 meters at a speed of 5.5 meters per second, one of the longest and fastest flights of a rotorcraft on the Red Planet.
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Published: April 18, 2024, 03:50 PM IST
