On June 28, the Ingenuity helicopter made contact with the Mars rover Perseverance, breaking a silence that had lasted over two months on Mars.
This was the first communication since April 26, when the 1.8 kg helicopter went missing during its 52nd flight over the Jezero crater on Mars.
Josh Anderson, the Ingenuity team lead from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, stated: “The part of the Jezero crater that the rover and helicopter are exploring has rugged terrain, which increases the likelihood of communication interruptions.”
Anderson added: “We are excited to have reestablished contact with Ingenuity, and this flight has been confirmed as Flight 52 on Mars.”
The rugged terrain has prevented Ingenuity from communicating with the Perseverance rover. The NASA Perseverance rover can be seen in the background among the rocks and red soil of Mars. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech).
NASA officials reported that Ingenuity traveled 363 meters on the Martian surface during its 52nd flight, which lasted 139 seconds. The primary objective of this flight was to capture images for the Perseverance science team, according to NASA officials.
Recent flight data indicates that Ingenuity remains in good condition. If subsequent checks confirm this, the helicopter could fly again within the next few weeks, team members noted.
The Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, which are tasked with sample collection and searching for life on Mars, landed on the planet in February 2021. The helicopter quickly completed its primary mission, a campaign of five flights designed to demonstrate that aerial exploration on Mars is feasible. Ingenuity then embarked on an extended mission, serving as a scout for Perseverance.
All communications to and from Ingenuity must be routed through Perseverance. The Perseverance rover had been out of sight behind a hill from the helicopter’s perspective and did not reappear until June 28.
Recently, the team managing the Ingenuity helicopter faced additional communication challenges. For instance, in early April, the helicopter was out of contact for six days, a surprising incident that left NASA’s science team in a state of concern.
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