Mars 2020, Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter drone, NASA, USA

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To Boldly Go Where No Robots Have Gone Before: Exploration with Autonomous Robots (Live Public Talk)

Mar 10, 2023

The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, has the most advanced autonomous driving capability ever flown to Mars. Having such an advanced capability contributes to the rover's challenging mission to discover signs of life that may have existed on Mars in a distant past. This talk provides an overview on the current research and development efforts on robotics autonomy at JPL, with an emphasis on enhancing the safety, efficiency, and performance of robotic mobility through the applications of risk-aware decision making and machine learning.

Speakers:
Masahiro Ono, Robotic Mobility Engineer, NASA JPL

Host:
Brian White, Office of Communications and Education, NASA JPL

Co-Host:
Rachel Etheredge, Lead Producer – The Studio, NASA JPL

 

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Article "Has NASA finally found life on Mars? Perseverance collects key samples of Martian soil (but they won't reach Earth until 2033)"
NASA's Perseverance Rover has collected its 19th sample of Martian material
This is the first to be picked up from the top of the river delta in the Jezero Crater
All samples will be sent to Earth by 2033, and will be studied for signs of life

by Fiona Jackson
April 3, 2023

 

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Article "NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter breaks records once again"
The off-world chopper flew to its highest altitude and speed on its 49th mission on the Red Planet.

by Chris Young
April 5, 2023

 

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Ingenuity Mars Helicopter celebrates 50 flights

Apr 14, 2023

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history when it achieved the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. Since then, it has exceeded expectations and most recently executed its 50th flight on Mars. This video highlights Ingenuity’s flights, captured by the Perseverance Rover’s WATSON and Mastcam-Z cameras, as well as Ingenuity’s color Return to Earth (RTE) camera and its black-and-white navigation camera.

 

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Belva Crater seen by Perseverance

May 19, 2023

Belva Crater, Mars, viewed through 152 individual images taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on 22 April 2023. The large boulder seen in the far right of the mosaic is about 20 metres away from Perseverance and is about 1.5 metres in diameter.

 

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Article "Perseverance gets back in contact with Ingenuity"

by Brianna Wessling
July 4, 2023

 

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Curiosity Rover’s Most Challenging Climb Yet (Mars Report - August 2023)

Aug 3, 2023

NASA’s Curiosity rover recently made its most challenging climb on Mars. Curiosity faced a steep, slippery slope on its journey up Mount Sharp, so rover drivers had to come up with a creative detour. After the detour, Curiosity stopped by a new area with intriguing impact craters to explore.

This edition of the Mars Report, set in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mars Yard and the Curiosity rover operations area, features rover driver Dane Schoelen explaining how the team found another route with less hazardous terrain. Curiosity will celebrate its 11th anniversary on Mars on Aug. 5.

 

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Perseverance rover captures Martian dust devil traveling at 12 mph!

Sep 29, 2023

NASA's Perseverance rover captured a dust devil on Mars traveling at 12 miles per hour (17 kph) on Aug. 30, 2023 about 2.5 miles away. "The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart," according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The dust devil was in a region called "Thorofare Ridge."

 

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Two views of a high-altitude flight for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

Nov 22, 2023

As NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter made its 59th flight on Mars – achieving its second highest altitude while taking pictures of this flight – the Perseverance Mars rover was watching. See two perspectives of this 142-second flight that reached an altitude of 66 feet (20 meters). This flight took place on Sept.16, 2023.

In this side-by-side video, you’ll see the perspective from Perseverance on the left, which was captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z imager from about 180 feet (55 meters) away. On the right, you’ll see the perspective from Ingenuity, which was taken by its downward-pointing Navigation Camera (Navcam). During Flight 59, Ingenuity hovered at different altitudes to check Martian wind patterns. The highest altitude achieved in this flight was 66 feet. At the time, that was a record for the helicopter.

Ingenuity is the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. It has completed 66 flights since April 19, 2021. That far exceeds its originally planned technology demonstration of up to five flights. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations for Ingenuity and Perseverance. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument on Perseverance, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.

 

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Article "NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter sets new distance record on the Red Planet"

by Mike Wall
January 3, 2024

 

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Perseverance's Mastcam-Z Views Ingenuity's 47th takeoff

Jan 6, 2024

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is seen here at the starting point of its 47th flight on Mars. This video shows the dust initially kicked up by the helicopter's spinning rotors, as well as Ingenuity taking off, hovering, and beginning its 1,444-foot (440-meter) journey to the southwest. The rotorcraft landed – off camera – at Airfield "Iota."

The video was captured by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance rover on March 9, 2023. At the time the video was taken, the rover was about 394 feet (120 meters) from the helicopter.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

 

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Article "NASA finds Ingenuity after losing contact with the Mars helicopter"

by Emma Bowman
January 20, 2024

 

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Article "Ingenuity, the NASA Helicopter Flying Over Mars, Ends Its Mission"
The robot flew 72 times, serving as a scouting partner to the Perseverance rover, aiding in the search for evidence that there was once life on the red planet.

by Kenneth Chang
January 25, 2024

 

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Legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

Jan 25, 2024

On April 19, 2021, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history when it completed the first powered, controlled flight on the Red Planet. It flew for the last time on January 18, 2024.

Designed to be a technology demonstration that would make no more than five test flights in 30 days, the helicopter eventually completed 72 flights in just under 3 years, soaring higher and faster than previously imagined. Ingenuity embarked on a new mission as an operations demonstration, serving as an aerial scout for scientists and rover planners, and for engineers ready to learn more about Perseverance’s landing gear debris.

In its final phase, the helicopter entered a new engineering demonstration phase where it executed experimental flight tests that further expanded the team’s knowledge of the vehicle’s aerodynamic limits.

 

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The Most Extreme Flights of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (Mars Report)

Feb 1, 2024

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter pushed aerodynamic limits during the final months of its mission, setting new records for speed, distance, and altitude. Hear from Ingenuity chief engineer Travis Brown on how the data the team collected could eventually be used in future rotorcraft designs.

Ingenuity was originally designed to make up to five flights – but completed 72 before sustaining rotor-blade damage that rendered it unable to fly. NASA announced the end of the helicopter’s mission on Jan. 25, 2024. The maximum altitude achieved by the helicopter during its mission was 79 feet (24 meters), on Flight 61. The maximum groundspeed was 22.4 mph (10 meters per second), reached during Flights 62, 68, and 69. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations for Ingenuity and the Perseverance Mars rover.

 

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Ingenuity’s Final Airfield - Valinor Hills

Feb 26, 2024

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured a mosaic of images showing the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at its final airfield, on 4 February 2024. Ingenuity damaged its rotor blades during landing on its 72nd flight, on 18 January 2024. The Ingenuity team has nicknamed the spot where the helicopter completed its final flight “Valinor Hills” after the fictional location in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels.

 

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Mavericks of Mars: The Ingenuity Helicopter Team’s Favorite Flights (Live Public Talk)

Streamed live on Mar 22, 2024

The Ingenuity Helicopter first took to the Martian skies on April 19, 2021, proving for the first time that powered, controlled flight was possible on another world.

Designed as a technology demonstration that would perform up to five experimental test flights over a span of 30 days, the Mars helicopter surpassed expectations – repeatedly – only recently completing its mission after having logged an incredible 72 flights over nearly three years.

Join us for a live talk to learn how Ingenuity’s team used resourcefulness and creativity to transform the rotorcraft from a successful tech demo into a helpful scout for the Perseverance rover, ultimately proving the value of aerial exploration for future interplanetary missions.

Speakers:
Dr. Havard F. Grip, Aerodynamics, Flight Control Lead, and Chief Pilot (Flights 1-37), NASA JPL

Dr. Martin Cacan, Guidance and Control Analyst, Pilot (Flights 15-37), Guidance, Navigation, Control Lead, and Chief Pilot (Flights 38-72), NASA JPL

Host:
Gregory Smith, Office of Communications and Education, NASA JPL

Co-host:
Sarah Marcotte, Mars Public Engagement, NASA JPL

(Original Air Date: March 21, 2024)

 

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"NASA’s Curiosity Searches for New Clues About Mars’ Ancient Water"

March 29, 2024

 

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See Ingenuity’s Flight Map: 72 Helicopter Flights on Mars

Apr 19, 2024

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter became the first vehicle to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet when it took to the Martian skies on April 19, 2021. This video maps the location of the 72 flights that the helicopter took over the course of nearly three years. Ingenuity far surpassed expectations — soaring higher and faster than previously imagined.

Designed to be a technology demonstration that would make no more than five test flights in 30 days, Ingenuity eventually flew more than 14 times farther than the distance expected, and logged more than two hours of total flight time. It flew for the final time on Jan. 18, 2024.

 

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Evolution of NASA’s Mars Rovers: Sojourner to Perseverance

Nov 25, 2024

Since landing its first rover on Mars in 1997, NASA has pushed the boundaries of exploration with increasingly larger and more sophisticated robotic explorers. Each mission builds on the lessons learned from the Red Planet, leading to breakthroughs in technology and our understanding of Mars. From the microwave-sized Sojourner to the SUV-sized Perseverance—and even taking flight with the groundbreaking Ingenuity helicopter—these rovers reflect decades of innovation and the drive to answer some of science’s biggest questions. This is their evolution.The Perseverance rover is currently exploring the Martian surface and collecting samples for return to Earth, where they could be studied by scientists around the world with instruments too large to send to Mars.