![]() ![]() "Essentially, when Ingenuity thought it was time to contact Perseverance, the rover's base station wasn’t listening." "When the sun rose the next morning and the solar array began to charge the batteries, the helicopter's clock was no longer in sync with the clock aboard the rover," JPL stated. It is also responsible for the spacecraft's time-keeping, including for scheduled calls with Perseverance.Ĭontrollers suspect that after the FGPA lost power, which happened during a Martian night, the helicopter's clock reset and the heaters turned off. The FGPA unit is crucial to making sure Ingenuity remains operational, including controlling the power to avionics elements and operating heaters to keep Ingenuity alive during cold Martian nights. Recently, the mini-helicopter even snapped valuable photos of Perseverance's discarded landing system to help spacecraft engineers plan future missions.īut the helicopter is battling dust, seasonal changes and conditions beyond its design plan, all of which mean it will face more obstacles in continuing its flights in the coming months. The rotorcraft has racked up a total of 4.2 miles (6.9 kilometers) of flight distance and is now serving as a scout for Perseverance activities as the mission enters an ancient delta in search of potential signs of Martian life. Ingenuity's rotor revolutions per flight were increased last September to account for lessening atmospheric density due to seasonal changes at the mission's landing area, Mars' Jezero Crater. That's considerably beyond its initial flight plan, of five excursions planned after it landed on the Martian surface in February 2021, along with Perseverance. Ingenuity was recently approved to fly through at least September, and has now racked up 28 sorties. ![]()
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