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Ingenuity has been the first aerial vehicle on another world. NASA announced the end of the Martian helicopter’s life at the end of its 72nd flight. During the flight there had been a problem on landing and, following the incident a few photos revealed chips in one of the rotor blades but nothing too serious. New images have been revealed that show the craft is missing one of its rotor blades entirely! >>>On 11 Feb, NASA used the black and white navigation camera to record a video showing the shadow of the rotors turning. It was an ingenious idea by...

If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.MARS IS A GRAVEYARD FOR explorers. Many orbiters, landers, rovers, and other mechanical critters that have either been cremated in the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere or fallen silent in the ochre, radiation-smothered sands below, right away or at the end of their technological lifespans. Many belonged to NASA, and the mantra of their droids seems to be: If you’re going to die, you might overachieve before you go.>>>NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter -- affectionately known as Ginny, the first aircraft to achieve powered and controlled flight on another world...

Ingenuity already looks lonely.NASA's Perseverance Rover took a photo of its broken companion, the Ingenuity helicopter, as it sat alone on a dune.In this most recent photo of Ingenuity, the dual-rotor 'copter can be seen motionless on a sandy dune in the background, as a barren, rocky Mars landscape fills the foreground. The photo was taken on Feb. 4, 2024, at 1:05 p.m. local mean solar time, a little over two weeks since it suffered its mission-ending damage. NASA and JPL's Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars as seen by the Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z camera on Feb. 4, 2024....

Ingenuity's mission is officially coming to an end, but not before mission scientists try to determine how much damage the helicopter suffered.NASA held a livestream Wednesday (Jan. 31) to pay tribute to Mars helicopter Ingenuity, which suffered rotor damage on its most recent flight. During the livestream, mission managers revealed that all four of Ingenuity's blades were damaged during a rough landing on the Red Planet surface.Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity Project Manager, said that NASA and JPL still aren't sure what caused the damage to Ingenuity's blades; it remains unclear whether the helicopter's power dipped during landing, causing unwanted ground contact,...

Pieces of humanity’s first powered aircraft have orbited Earth, ventured to the Moon, and now, they’ve hovered above Mars’ surface.***Mars, the solar system’s fourth planet, is a cold, craggy, two-mooned world named for the Roman God of war, which is fitting considering its rusty red surface gives it a blood-stained hue. Located some 293 million miles from Earth, Mars — with its thin atmosphere, colossal canyons, and towering Olympus Mons volcano — has long mystified humanity. But today, April 19, 2021, a powerful yet petite helicopter briefly hovered above the Red Planet’s surface, taking what could be a paradigm-shifting step...

Flight 72 Sol 1035 Date Jan. 18, 2024 Horizontal Distance 0 m 0 ft Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 0 m/s 0 mph Duration 32.0 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 72FLIGHT TIME ~128.8 MINSDISTANCE FLOWN 11 MILES (~17.0 km)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

STATUS UPDATES | January 22, 2024 Ingenuity Reestablishes Communications Written by NASA/JPL On Saturday, Jan. 20, communications were reestablished between Ingenuity and NASA’s Perseverance rover. The Ingenuity team has determined the helicopter is power-positive and is sitting vertically on the surface. Next steps include running further diagnostic checks, commanding Ingenuity to take photos of its location on the surface, and performing a spin test.

Flight 71 Sol 1023 Date Jan. 6, 2024 Horizontal Distance 71 m ~233 ft Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 7 m/s ~15.7 mph Duration 35.0 seconds Route of Flight from Airfield Chi to Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 71FLIGHT TIME ~128.3 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 11 MILES (~17.0 km)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

This information is sourced from NASA's waypoints log (linked above), starting line 3508.Formatted as per the Flight Log:Flight 70 Sol 1009 Date Dec. 22, 2023 Horizontal Distance 255.109 m 836.972 ft Max. Altitude 12 m 39.37 ft Max. Groundspeed 5.5 m/s 12.3 mph Duration 132.9 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 70FLIGHT TIME 127.8 MINS 7668.286 SECONDSDISTANCE FLOWN 10.662 MILES ~ 17.158 km 56293.648 ftMAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

An Ode to Perseverance and Ingenuity Written by Nicolas Randazzo, Postdoctoral Scientist, University of AlbertaIn the vast expanse where dreams take flight, A tale unfolds of courage and might. Mars, the distant red planet's embrace, Witnesses a duo, bound by space.In the history of the cosmos, their story engraved, Perseverance and Ingenuity, bold and brave. Their legacy echoes, inspiring the souls, To reach for the stars, to achieve their goals.Perseverance, a wanderer on alien soil, Unraveling mysteries, with unyielding toil. Its robotic arm, a gentle touch bestowed, Collecting samples, where the martian past’s secrets flowed.But lo, a companion, the aerial...

Flight 69 Sol 1007 Date Dec. 20, 2023 Horizontal Distance 705 m ~2,315 ft Max. Altitude 16 m ~52 ft Max. Groundspeed 10 m/s ~22.4 mph Duration 135.4 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 69FLIGHT TIME ~125.5 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 10 MILES (~16,711 km) (sic)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

Flight 68 Sol 1002 Date Dec. 15, 2023 Horizontal Distance 702 m ~2,304 ft Max. Altitude 16 m ~52 ft Max. Groundspeed 10 m/s ~22.4 mph Duration 131.1 seconds Route of Flight Airfield ChiFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 68FLIGHT TIME ~123.3 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 10 MILES (~16,006 km) (sic)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

Flight 67 Sol 990 Date Dec. 2, 2023 Horizontal Distance 393 m ~1,289 ft Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 5.30 m/s ~11.9 mph Duration 135.9 seconds Route of Flight From Airfield Phi to Airfield ChiFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 67FLIGHT TIME ~121.1 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 10 MILES (~15,303 km) (sic)MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

[Two short videos at source] Two Views of Ingenuity’s 59th Flight: This video combines two perspectives of the 59th flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Video on the left was captured by the Mastcam-Z on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover; the black-and-white video on the right was taken by Ingenuity’s downward-pointing Navcam. The flight occurred Sept 16. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS. Engineers will go beyond the ends of the Earth to find more performance for future Mars helicopters.For the first time in history, two planets have been home to testing future aircraft designs. On this world, a new rotor that could be used...

Flight 66 Sol 961 Date Nov. 3, 2023 Horizontal Distance 0 m ~2 ft Max. Altitude 3 m ~10 ft Max. Groundspeed 1 m/s ~2.2 mph Duration 23.0 seconds Route of Flight Airfield Phi***Flight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 66FLIGHT TIME ~118.8 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 9 MILES (~14,910 km) sicMAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft) Data according to the waypoints log:"Flight": 66, "Sol": 962, "Dist_m": 0.5, "Total_m": 15099.652, "Total_km": 15.1, "Dist_ft": 1.64, "Total_ft": 49539.541, "Total_mi": 9.382, "Max_Alt_m": 3, "Max_Alt_ft": 9.843, "Max_Spd_m": 1, "Max_mph": 2.237, "Duration_s": 23.03, "total_s": 7128.914, "total_min": 118.82, "Earth_Date": "Nov. 3, 2023",

Flight 65 Sol 958 Date Nov. 2, 2023 Horizontal Distance 7 m ~23 ft Max. Altitude 10 m ~33 ft Max. Groundspeed 1 m/s ~2.2 mph Duration 48.0 Seconds Route of Flight Airfield PhiFlight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 65FLIGHT TIME ~118.4 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 9 MILES (~14,910 km) sicMAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

Flight 64 Sol 954 Date Oct. 27, 2023 Horizontal Distance 411 m ~1,348 ft. Max. Altitude 12 m ~39 ft Max. Groundspeed 5.80 m/s ~13.0 mph Duration 139.1 seconds Route of Flight From Airfield Upsilon To Airfield Phi***Flight Log By the NumbersFLIGHTS 64FLIGHT TIME ~117.6 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 9 MILES (~14,903 km) sicMAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 m (~79 ft)

Flight 62 Sol 940 Date Oct. 12, 2023 Horizontal Distance 268 m ~880 ft Max. Altitude 18 m ~59 ft Max. Groundspeed 10 m/s ~22.4 mph Duration 121.1 seconds Route of Flight Airfield Tau (out-and-back flight) Flight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 62 FLIGHT TIME ~112.9 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 9 MILES (~13,913 km) (sic) MAX. GROUND SPEED 22.4 MPH 10 m/s HIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 (~79 ft) METERS***The above information contains inconsistencies, so here is the relevant data from the waypoints file:"Dist_m": 291.691, "Total_m": 14068.049, "Total_km": 14.068, "Dist_ft": 956.991, "Total_ft": 46155.016, "Total_mi": 8.741, "Max_Alt_m": 18, "Max_Alt_ft": 59.055, "Max_Spd_m": 10, "Max_mph": 22.369,...

Flight 61 Sol 933 Date Oct. 5, 2023 Horizontal Distance 0 m 0 ft Max. Altitude 24 m ~79 ft Max. Groundspeed 0 m/s 0 mph Duration 129.5 seconds Route of Flight Airfield TauFlight Log By the Numbers FLIGHTS 61FLIGHT TIME ~110.9 MINS DISTANCE FLOWN 8 MILES (~13,644 m)MAX. GROUND SPEED 17.9 MPH 8 m/sHIGHEST ALTITUDE 24 METERS (~79 ft)

Flight 60 Sol 924 Date Sept. 25, 2023 Horizontal Distance 340 m ~1,116 ft Max. Altitude 16 m ~52 ft Max. Groundspeed 8 m/s ~17.9 mph Duration 132.8 Seconds Route of Flight From Airfield Sigma To Airfield TauFlight Log Flights 60 (as of 9/25/23)Distance Flown 13,644 meters (~44,768 ft)Highest Altitude 20 meters (~66 ft)Fastest Ground Speed 8 m/s (17.9 mph)Flight Time ~108.8 minutes (6,525 seconds)