NASA finds Ingenuity after losing contact with the Mars helicopter
Last edited Sun Jan 21, 2024, 05:02 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: NPR
Updated January 20, 2024 9:40 PM ET
NASA is back in contact with its beloved helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, two days after a communication blackout. Communications broke down on Thursday, when the little autonomous rotorcraft was sent on a "quick pop-up vertical flight," to test its systems after an unplanned early landing during its previous flight, the agency said in a status update on Friday night.
The Perseverance rover, which relays data between the helicopter and Earth during the flights, showed that Ingenuity climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet, NASA said.
During its planned descent, the helicopter and rover stopped communicating with each other. But good news came late on Saturday, when NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted that it had reestablished contact with the helicopter after instructing the rover "to perform long-duration listening sessions for Ingenuity's signal."
The Ingenuity team is reviewing the new data to understand the unexpected communications dropout that occurred during the helicopter's 72nd flight, it added.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/20/1225845938/nasa-mars-ingenuity-helicopter-lost
Article updated.
Original article/headline -
January 20, 2024 3:03 PM ET
NASA has lost contact with its beloved helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity.
Communications broke down on Thursday, when the little autonomous rotorcraft was sent on a "quick pop-up vertical flight," to test its systems after an unplanned early landing during its previous flight, the agency said in a status update on Friday night.
The Perseverance rover, which relays data between the helicopter and Earth during the flights, showed that Ingenuity climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet, NASA said. But during its planned descent, the helicopter and rover stopped communicating with each other.
The Ingenuity team is looking at next steps in attempts to restore communication with the helicopter, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a tweet. Operators may drive Perseverance closer to where it lost contact with the helicopter.
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bucolic_frolic
(44,771 posts)OnlinePoker
(5,761 posts)That it has made 70 is an outstanding achievement.
JoseBalow
(3,607 posts)of under-promising, and over-delivering
ArkansasDemocrat1
(1,836 posts)That's why he's known as the miracle worker.
C Moon
(12,355 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,673 posts)... will finish off any Martian probe. It's a fantastic tribute to NASA engineers that so many of their products exceed expectations, not by small margins, but by one or two orders of magnitude.
paleotn
(18,488 posts)I was a young whipper snapper trying to figure out what to do with my life when Voyager 1 and 2 launched in '77. Now I'm in the last phase of my career, with retirement coming over the horizon. V1 and 2 may out last me.
ArkansasDemocrat1
(1,836 posts)last year about this time IIRC
I was in 7th grade when they launched.
Martin68
(23,746 posts)planned, but it kept going far beyond the design parameters. A huge success no matter what has happened at this stage. it was not designed to last more than a few days.
dcweed
(18 posts)Link to NPR updated. They found it.
BumRushDaShow
(134,464 posts)![](/emoticons/hattip.gif)
hueymahl
(2,602 posts)pfitz59
(10,639 posts)Sparking hopes for manned exploration. There would be no shortage of volunteers. We're all going to die, why not do it on a one-way mission into the history books?
LudwigPastorius
(9,849 posts)line-of-sight between Ingenuity and Earth.
Where's Trump's Space Force to issue tickets when you need them?