Perseverence on Mars

[NoelC]

Nice spot if you like rocks.

[Rick]

Out of this world: Listen to Perseverance rover fire its laser at Mars rocks as the wind whips around it

NASA released this week the first audio recordings captured by its six-wheeled nuclear-powered rover Perseverance in action, zapping rock samples as the Martian wind eerily whispers in the background..

The trundlebot left terra firma in July, and landed on the Red Planet last month. Since then, engineers have uploaded thousands of commands to test the rover's instruments in its new environment before it fully embarks on its mission to find signs of alien microbial life. This has included snapping pictures using its SuperCam and recording audio using its microphone.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/12/mars_laser_perseverance/

[Hugh]

How fantastic was this!  Full NASA briefing at the link below.  Go to 13:15 to see actual vid of flight.

https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Watch-Online

Best

Hugh

[Rick]

Ingenuity – Earth's first aircraft to fly on another planet – take off on Mars

Ingenuity has successfully performed a solar-powered autonomous flight on Mars, NASA confirmed on Monday.

The dual-bladed helicopter took off from the Jezero Crater at 0734 UTC, marking the first time in history an Earth-built aircraft has flown in skies away from Sol d. NASA has now named the patch of Martian surface that Ingenuity hovered over as the Wright Brothers Field, after human flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/20/ingenuity_mars_takeoff/

[Rick]

Mars helicopter plagued with Log4j bug overcomes network glitch to confirm new flight record

NASA has revealed that Ingenuity – the experimental helicopter sent to Mars with the Perseverance Rover – has clocked up a whole half-hour of flight in the red planet's meanly thin atmosphere.

The 'copter passed the thirty-minute mark during its 17th flight, on December 5.

But NASA was unsure of the craft's status because of what the space agency has described as "an unexpected cutoff to the in-flight data stream as the helicopter descended toward the surface at the conclusion of its flight".

More: https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/16/ingenuity_mars_helicopter_log4j/

[Rick]

Analysis of sounds captured by Perseverance rover reveals speed of sound on the Red Planet

An international team of researchers analyzing the sounds captured by the Perseverance rover has determined the speed of sound on Mars. Baptiste Chide, with Los Alamos National Laboratory, gave a presentation at this year's 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference outlining the findings by the team.

The Perseverance rover landed successfully on the surface of Mars a little more than a year ago, and since that time, has been rolling around, studying the landscape with a host of cameras and sensors. Perseverance has also been outfitted with a microphone, which allowed the rover to beam back the first sounds ever heard from a distant world --

More: https://phys.org/news/2022-03-analysis-captured-perseverance-rover-reveals.html

[Rick]

NASA's 161-second helicopter tour of Martian terrain

On Friday NASA released footage of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flying further and faster than ever before.

The film recorded during Ingenuity's 25th flight on April 8 when it flew 704 meters at up to 5.5 meters per second.

Video: https://youtu.be/thk4Rha-fTk

More: https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/30/ingenuity_161s_martian_flight/

[Rick]

Mars helicopter needs patch to fly again after sensor failure

The Mars Ingenuity helicopter is in need of a patch to work around a failed sensor before another flight can be attempted.

The helicopter's inclinometer failed during a recommissioning effort ahead of the 29th flight. The sensor is critical as it will reposition the craft nearer to the Perseverance rover for communication purposes.

Although not required during flight, the inclinometer (which consists of two accelerometers) is used to measure gravity prior to spin-up and takeoff. "The direction of the sensed gravity is used to determine how Ingenuity is oriented relative to the downward direction," said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter chief pilot.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/07/ingenuity_patch/

[Rick]

Perseverance rover drops off first sample tube on surface of Mars

A titanium tube that looks a bit like a steampunk telescope has been dropped off by the plucky Perseverance rover, stuffed with a Mars rock sample that NASA astrobiologists are hoping might reveal traces of ancient microbial life.

But before the most difficult part – sending spacecraft from Earth to Mars to collect the sealed samples and return them to Earth for analysis by 2033 – the team had to make sure the multibillion-dollar mission didn't shoot itself in the foot by crushing the tube beneath the rover's wheels.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/22/perseverance_sample_tube_drop_nasa/

[Carole]

I remember the talk we had on this by Zoom.  I asked the question as to how they will know where the samples have been dropped when they try to find them.  The answer was a definite "we will know where they are".

Carole

[Rick]

Perseverance Left Scientists a Present on Mars, But They Can't Open It Until 2033

The rover has been drilling and scooping since shortly after landing, squirreling away rocks and sand into special tubes for transport.

It dropped its first load near a place called "Three Forks" this week. That tube contains bits of igneous rock it found in January of this year.

It wasn't just a "drop and run". Mission engineers had to make sure the tube landed safely. So, they did it slowly. First, Perseverance pulled the container out of its belly.

Then it looked everything over with a camera before dropping the tube down 90 centimeters onto the surface.

Then another image showed mission engineers the sample was safely in position on its side for easy pickup.

More: https://www.sciencealert.com/perseverance-left-scientists-a-present-on-mars-but-they-cant-open-it-until-2033

[Rick]

Mars helicopter phones home after 63 days of silence

NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has phoned home, more than 60 days after last establishing contact.

Ingenuity's last flight was on April 26, when the rotorcraft took to Martian skies for 139 seconds and hopped 363 meters.

The copter's role is to fly ahead of the Perseverance Rover and scout any potential obstacles or items of interest. On Flight 52, that meant the flying machine landed over a hill, in a location from which it did not enjoy line of sight to the rover.

Perseverance has since caught up, crested the hill, and on June 28 was able to see Ingenuity and re-establish contact.

NASAs assessment of the copter's status – based on the little data it has shared – "indicates all is well with the first aircraft on another world."

More: https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/03/ingenuity_mars_helicopter_contact_established/

[Rick]

After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends

NASA's history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight.

More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends

Also: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/nasas-mars-helicopter-has-made-its-last-flight-above-the-red-planet/

[Rick]

72 flights later and a rotor blade short, Mars chopper loses its fight with physics

A little more light is being shed on the fate of NASA's Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, thanks to fresh images snapped by the Perseverance rover.

After an expectation-busting 72 flights over almost three years, the helicopter was finally retired in January 2024 when NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found rotor damage following a quick up-and-down flight to check the helicopter's systems.

NASA confirmed that Ingenuity was upright and in communication with ground controllers but would fly no more. Images released at the time indicated that the tip of at least one rotor blade had suffered damage. Subsequent images showed a missing upper rotor blade, however, the pictures were frustratingly low resolution.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/26/nasa_ingenuity_rotor_damage/
(...and see https://twitter.com/stim3on/status/1761715831472291996 )