Mars helicopter unexpectedly reconnects with NASA

Trực thăng sao Hỏa bất ngờ liên lạc lại với NASA- Ảnh 1. — Ingenuity helicopter to be launched to Mars in 2021

AFP news agency reported on January 21 that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has just re-established contact with a small helicopter on Mars, after a sudden loss of contact made them worry that the device had been damaged after a period of active operation.

The 0.5 meter tall Ingenuity helicopter was launched to Mars in 2021 on the Perseverance rover, becoming the first autonomous flying vehicle on another planet.

Data from the helicopter is regularly transmitted back to Earth, but communication was suddenly interrupted during a test flight on January 18, Ingenuity's 72nd takeoff on the red planet.

"Good news today," according to a post on the evening of January 20 (local time) on the X social network account of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California (USA).

Ingenuity helicopter's third successful flight on Mars

The agency said it finally made contact with the helicopter by instructing Perseverance to “conduct extended listening sessions for Ingenuity signals.” “The team is reviewing the new data to better understand the unexpected loss of communication during flight 72,” according to JPL.

NASA said earlier that Ingenuity reached an altitude of 12 meters on its 72nd flight, a rapid vertical flight to test its systems, after the helicopter made an unplanned early landing on its previous flight. During the landing during the test flight, communication between the helicopter and the rover was suddenly lost.

JPL said Perseverance is temporarily “out of sight of Ingenuity, but the team may consider driving closer for a visual inspection.”

As for whether Ingenuity can fly again, JPL said the team needs to evaluate new data before making a decision. NASA has lost contact with the helicopter before, including for two months last year.

The 1.8kg device far exceeded its original goal of making five flights over 30 days on the red planet. In total, it flew more than 17km and reached an altitude of up to 24m.

Working with Perseverance, the helicopter will act as an airborne scout to aid in the search for signs of life on Mars.

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