NASA has identified the likely cause of its Mars helicopter, Ingenuity’s, crash that grounded it after its final flight in January. The space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory investigation found that the navigation system failed to collect dependable data on Martian surface features, leading to a hard landing and subsequent loss of communications.
Ingenuity was designed to test take-off, short flights, and landing operations on Mars, with the goal of supporting NASA’s efforts to build new aircraft capable of flying in other planets’ atmospheres. The helicopter completed its first powered, controlled flight on Mars in April 2021, but its last flight ended in a crash due to the navigation system’s limitations.
The investigation revealed that Ingenuity was traveling over an area with few surface features, making it difficult for the camera-based navigation system to find suitable landing spots. The resulting hard landing caused the helicopter to turn over and roll, damaging all four rotor blades. NASA is still able to provide weather information and other data from the crashed aircraft.
While the crash marked the end of Ingenuity’s flight operations, it has provided valuable lessons for future aircraft designs. NASA engineers are now testing smaller, lighter flying vehicles with limited electronics, aiming to produce helicopters that can make multiple smaller exploration trips on Mars. The agency is developing a new rotorcraft, called the Mars Chopper, which will be about 20 times heavier than Ingenuity and have longer travel capabilities.
Source: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/nasa-identifies-cause-of-mars-helicopter-s-final-crash/7905637.html