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ReutersThe Ingenuity in action on Mars
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 02:15
After three years, the mission of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on the planet Mars has come to an end. According to the space agency, the plane suffered damage to one or more rotor blades during a landing and can no longer fly.
Ingenuity arrived on the planet in February 2021 with the Mars rover Perseverance. The plane was supposed to complete five test flights in thirty days, but there were many more.
Since April 2021, when the unmanned helicopter became the first aircraft to fly on another planet, 72 flights have been completed. Ingenuity flew fourteen times further than planned.
NASA emphasizes that Ingenuity’s mission was a complete success and far exceeded expectations.
The endurance continues
“Ingenuity’s historic journey has come to an end,” said Bill Nelson of the US space agency. “Through missions like this, NASA is paving the way for future flights in our solar system and for smarter, safer human exploration of Mars and beyond.”
According to the BBC, Ingenuity’s ending isn’t a bad one. Perseverance will be making some long, fast trips into Jezero Crater in the near future, and it would likely have been a bridge too far for Ingenuity to keep up with the rover.
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