Ingenuity is the first helicopter to land on Mars, and is a very important part of NASA's space program, having completed 72 flights of the planet in three years.
Images and data returned to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, showed that one or more of the helicopter's carbon-fiber rotor blades were damaged during landing during its final flight this month, the space agency said Thursday. Watchman.
The team determined that the helicopter could no longer fly. Although the helicopter remains upright and in contact with air traffic controllers, its $85 million mission has officially ended.
Even though we know this day is inevitable, that doesn't make it any easier. It is almost an exaggeration to say that it exceeded expectations
said NASA's Lori Glaze.
Recent flight images show that one or more of the rotor blades were damaged during landing and may have crashed onto the surface. According to NASA, the blades are no longer usable.
On its final flight last week, the helicopter rose to a height of about 12 meters and then hovered for a few seconds before landing. The connection was lost for a while, and after the connection was restored, the damage was confirmed. The cause of the loss of communication is currently being investigated.
Ingenuity's success has prompted NASA to add two small helicopters to a future Mars mission in 2022.
