A power hiccup with the Mars helicopter might signal future struggles.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, a rotorcraft on Mars, briefly lost touch with the Perseverance rover last week. The helicopter has since regained its connection—but the Martian winter may pose more difficulties in the coming months.
A seasonal increase in atmospheric dust, a feature of the approaching Mars winter, caused the blackout by preventing Ingenuity’s solar arrays from being able to fully recharge its batteries. During Martian night, one of the helicopter’s instruments entered a low-power state and reset its clocks.
Ingenuity was originally designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over a span of 30 Martian days, or “sols,” but the helicopter has far exceeded NASA’s expectations. In the Earth year since it landed, Ingenuity has flown over 4.2 miles across the Red Planet, andin March. The agency has planned flight operations through September.
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