You Up? Mars Helicopter Finally Makes Contact After Two Months of Silence
Key Highlights :
After 63 days of agonizing silence, NASA’s Martian chopper finally phoned home. The Ingenuity helicopter reestablished communication with mission control on June 28, officially logging its 52nd flight as a success, NASA recently announced.
The Ingenuity helicopter, which was tucked inside the Perseverance rover, made history on April 19, 2021, when it became the first powered aircraft to lift off from the surface of another planet. Since then, the 19-inch tall (48 cm), 4-pound helicopter has been helping the rover survey the Martian terrain.
Unfortunately, the rugged terrain of Jezero Crater has caused communication dropouts between the rover and the helicopter. On April 26, NASA lost contact with Ingenuity as the helicopter was descending towards the surface of the Red Planet. The reason behind the communication drop was that a hill was inconveniently positioned between Ingenuity and its rover pal Perseverance, preventing the Martian pair from communicating with one another.
Ingenuity relies on Perseverance to deliver its messages to Earth, using shiny antennas to exchange data at about 100 kilobits per second. The data is routed from the Ingenuity-facing antenna to the rover’s main computer before being transferred to Earth by way of an orbiting spacecraft.
Since the downlink was disrupted over two months ago, NASA mission control has been waiting on the results of Ingenuity’s flight. The goal of the 52nd flight was to reposition the helicopter and capture images of Mars’ surface for the rover’s science team. During its flight, Ingenuity reached an altitude of 1,191 feet above the surface for a total of 139 seconds.
Now that the helicopter has reestablished communication with mission control, the Ingenuity team is currently running through the helicopter’s health checks to make sure it’s fit for another flight within the next couple of weeks. Flight 53 will be used as an interim airfield to the west of where the rover and its helicopter are located. From there, the team wants to perform another westward flight to a new location near a rocky outcrop that the rover is looking to explore.
Ingenuity was designed to last for a 30-day technology demonstration, but it has far exceeded expectations. The Mars helicopter has proven to be a handy sidekick to its rover companion, and its 52nd flight is testament to its success. With mission control back in communication, Ingenuity is now ready for its next mission.
