Mars helicopter contacts again after 63 days of silence

NASA announced that the Ingenuity helicopter contacted them again on June 28 via the Perseverance robot, its "companion" on Mars.

Illustration of NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flying on Mars. Photo: NASA

The new event ends a period of silence for Ingenuity since April 26, when the 1.8-kilogram helicopter ended its 52nd flight in the Jezero crater on the red planet.

"The Jezero Crater that the rover and helicopter are exploring has a lot of rough terrain, which increases the chance of communication disruption. The team's goal is to keep Ingenuity ahead of Perseverance, which sometimes causes it to go out of communication range. We're excited to be back within communication range with Ingenuity and get confirmation of Flight 52," said Josh Anderson, Ingenuity team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

NASA said Ingenuity flew 1,200 feet (363 meters) during its 52nd flight, which lasted 139 seconds. The main goals of the flight were to reposition the helicopter and take photos for the Perseverance team . New flight data shows that Ingenuity is in good condition. If further inspections confirm this, it could fly again in the coming weeks.

Ingenuity and Perseverance landed inside Jezero Crater in February 2021. The Perseverance robot was tasked with collecting samples and searching for signs of life on Mars. Meanwhile, the Ingenuity helicopter quickly completed its primary mission, making five flights to prove that exploring Mars from the air was possible. Ingenuity then went on an extended mission, acting as a reconnaissance vehicle for Perseverance.

All communications to and from Ingenuity must be routed through Perseverance, which explains the helicopter’s recent silence. However, the two teams were expecting this, as the robot disappeared behind a hill from the helicopter’s perspective and did not reappear until June 28.

The Ingenuity team has also encountered other communications issues. In early April, for example, the helicopter went silent for six days, which worried them.

Thu Thao (According to Space )

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