NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has officially completed its mission on Mars after an impressive 72 flights, far exceeding its initial plans by flying 30 times farther than expected. The final flight occurred on January 18, 2024, where it briefly ascended in a maneuver known as a hop.
During this last flight, it was observed that one of Ingenuity's rotor blades was missing, having detached at the mast. The cause of this damage was not immediately clear. Håvard Grip, Ingenuity's first pilot from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, noted the challenges of conducting an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, stating, 'While multiple scenarios are viable with the available data, we have one we believe is most likely: Lack of surface texture gave the navigation system too little information to work with.'
The smooth and featureless ground beneath the helicopter hindered its autonomous navigation. Without surface features, the helicopter's downward-facing camera could not accurately track its movement, leading to a hard landing that ultimately caused the damage.
Further analysis indicated that Ingenuity struck the surface too forcefully, causing it to pitch and roll, which placed undue stress on its delicate rotor blades. This resulted in vibrations that completely severed one blade from its mast.
Despite its inability to fly, Ingenuity continues to transmit weekly weather data to the nearby Perseverance rover. Teddy Tzanetos, the project's manager, highlighted the mission's innovative use of commercial off-the-shelf cellphone processors for deep space operations, demonstrating that smaller, less robust technology can function effectively in the Martian environment.
NASA is already considering future rotorcraft missions, including a larger helicopter for the Mars Sample Return program, which could carry scientific instruments in its explorations. 'Ingenuity has given us the confidence and data to envision the future of flight at Mars,' Tzanetos stated.