The Mars helicopter “Ingenuity” can no longer fly. Images sent to Earth this week show that one or more rotor blades of the mini helicopter were damaged during a landing, the American space agency NASA announced on Thursday.
‘Ingenuity’ is still upright and can communicate with the control center on Earth, but the helicopter can no longer fly. The helicopter’s mission, originally scheduled to last just 30 days, is now over after about three years on Mars, it was said.
Weighs only 1.8 kilograms
The helicopter landed on Mars in February 2021 with the rover ‘Perseverance’. Shortly afterwards, the machine, powered by lithium-ion batteries and weighing about 1.8 kilograms, became the first aircraft to complete a flight to another planet.
Countless flights under extreme conditions
The helicopter, which has to withstand extreme conditions on Mars, made a total of 72 flights. Much more than originally planned. “What Ingenuity has accomplished exceeds anything we thought possible,” said NASA’s Bill Nelson (see video above).
Source: Krone
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