- The Ingenuity helicopter was so damaged that it could never fly again. But NASA’s historic Mars rover captured a wide view of the Martian desert before its final flyby.
- On flight 70, one of Ingenuity’s last flights, the NASA vehicle managed to capture the view you see below.
- It is estimated that what caused Ingenuity to crash was the fluid Martian sands. The helicopter determined its direction using software to track the movement of objects such as rocks below. However, the space agency explained that the sandy terrain was largely “featureless”.
The Ingenuity helicopter was so damaged that it could never fly again. But NASA’s historic Mars rover captured a wide view of the Martian desert before its final flyby.
After the small experimental helicopter made a “hard” landing during its 72nd flight, at least one rotor was severely broken and one end was likely torn off after hitting rocky ground. However, on flight 70, one of Ingenuity’s final flights, the NASA vehicle managed to capture the view you see below.
A landscape of sprawling sand dunes. In the distance there are rock-covered ridges and mountains. In the upper left corner you can see the tip of a helicopter leg.
Ingenuity captured this image on December 22, 2023, from approximately 12 meters above the ground. Its last flight would be less than a month later.
It turns out those picturesque, flowing Martian dunes were what caused Ingenuity to crash. The helicopter determined its direction using software to track the movement of objects such as rocks below. However, the space agency explained that the sandy terrain was largely “featureless”.
In a statement from NASA, “The more featureless the terrain, the more difficult it will be for Ingenuity to navigate the terrain successfully. “The team believes that the relatively featureless terrain in this area was likely the primary cause of the abnormal descent.” was written.
The Ingenuity mission was largely successful in its nearly three-year extraterrestrial flight. It was the first vehicle to make powered and controlled flight on another planet. NASA engineers initially hoped that the demonstrator, with four-foot-long rotors, could prove that flight on Mars was possible, perhaps flying five times. But the vehicle managed to take off 72 times.
Compiled by: Alp Eren Gümüş
