NASA announced on Tuesday (April 16) that its Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its last transmission to Earth and will now serve as an immobile data-gathering unit on the surface of the red planet.

This aircraft, about the size of a tissue box, made history by completing the first powered flight on another celestial body. It accomplished this feat by hitching a ride under the Perseverance rover, which initially departed the Martian surface on April 19, 2021.

"A long goodbye," NASA said on social media site X.

"Ingenuity's team received their final message from the #MarsHelicopter, which will now serve as a stationary testbed, collecting data that could benefit future explorers of the Red Planet," it further wrote.

Originally intended only to prove flight was possible in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere through five test runs, Ingenuity defied all expectations.

Throughout its deployment, it took to the skies a total of 72 times, accumulating over two hours of flight time through brief hops. It navigated through challenges including dust storms, difficult terrain, a malfunctioning sensor, and extreme cold conditions.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/tiny-moon-big-ocean-this-is-how-a-huge-ocean-was-created-on-saturns-death-star-moon-mimas-712562">Tiny moon, big ocean: THIS is how a huge ocean was created on Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas</a>

Its role evolved into that of an aerial scout, aiding its wheeled companion in the exploration for evidence of ancient microbial life from a time when Mars was significantly wetter and warmer than it is today.

Especially designed to operate in springtime, its solar-powered heating system was unable to remain on throughout the night in winter. That led to the flight computer freezing over and forced engineers to devise new protocols.

NASA was trying to bring Martian rocks collected by the rover back to Earth faster and more cheaply, amid the agency facing mounting criticism for going massively over budget.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/ancient-humans-lived-in-this-vast-lava-tube-in-saudi-arabia-7000-years-ago-712474">Ancient humans lived in THIS vast lava tube in Saudi Arabia 7,000 years ago</a>.&nbsp;

The effort comes as China is making progress towards a simpler "grab-and-go" sample return mission to the red planet "around 2030," according to state media, which would make it the first nation to achieve the feat.

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA announced on Tuesday (April 16) that its Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its last transmission to Earth and will now serve as an immobile data-gathering unit on the surface of the red planet.

NASA announced on Tuesday (April 16) that its Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its last transmission to Earth and will now serve as an immobile data-gathering unit on the surface of the red planet. This aircraft, about the size of a tissue box, made history by completing the first powered flight on another celestial body. It accomplished this feat by hitching a ride under the Perseverance rover, which initially departed the Martian surface on April 19, 2021. "A long goodbye," NASA said on social media site X. "Ingenuity's team received their final message from the #MarsHelicopter, which will now serve as a stationary testbed, collecting data that could benefit future explorers of the Red Planet," it further wrote. Originally intended only to prove flight was possible in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere through five test runs, Ingenuity defied all expectations. Throughout its deployment, it took to the skies a total of 72 times, accumulating over two hours of flight time through brief hops. It navigated through challenges including dust storms, difficult terrain, a malfunctioning sensor, and extreme cold conditions. Also read: Tiny moon, big ocean: THIS is how a huge ocean was created on Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas Its role evolved into that of an aerial scout, aiding its wheeled companion in the exploration for evidence of ancient microbial life from a time when Mars was significantly wetter and warmer than it is today. Especially designed to operate in springtime, its solar-powered heating system was unable to remain on throughout the night in winter. That led to the flight computer freezing over and forced engineers to devise new protocols. NASA was trying to bring Martian rocks collected by the rover back to Earth faster and more cheaply, amid the agency facing mounting criticism for going massively over budget. Also read: Ancient humans lived in THIS vast lava tube in Saudi Arabia 7,000 years ago. The effort comes as China is making progress towards a simpler "grab-and-go" sample return mission to the red planet "around 2030," according to state media, which would make it the first nation to achieve the feat. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter sends last message to Earth

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter received a checkout and recharge of its power system on Friday (August 7), one week into its near seven-month journey to Mars with the Perseverance rover.

This marks the first time the helicopter has been powered up and its batteries have been charged in the space environment.

During the eight-hour operation, the performance of the rotorcraft's six lithium-ion batteries was analyzed as the team brought their charge level up to 35 per cent. The project has determined a low charge state is optimal for battery health during the cruise to Mars.

"This was a big milestone, as it was our first opportunity to turn on Ingenuity and give its electronics a 'test drive' since we launched on July 30," said Tim Canham, the operations lead for Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

"Since everything went by the book, we'll perform the same activity about every two weeks to maintain an acceptable state of charge," Canham added. The 4-pound (2-kilogram) helicopter -- a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — is currently stowed on Perseverance's belly and receives its charge from the rover's power supply. 
 
Once Ingenuity is deployed on Mars' surface after Perseverance touches down, its batteries will be charged solely by the helicopter's own solar panel. If Ingenuitysurvives the cold Martian nights during its preflight checkout, the team will proceed with testing.

"This charge activity shows we have survived launch and that so far we can handle the harsh environment of interplanetary space. We have a lot more firsts to go before we can attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet, but right now we are all feeling very good about the future," said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. 
 
The small craft will have a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) experimental flight-test window. If it succeeds, Ingenuity will prove that powered, controlled flight by an aircraft can be achieved at Mars, enabling future Mars missions to potentially add an aerial dimension to their explorations with second-generation rotorcraft.

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check.

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check. NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter received a checkout and recharge of its power system on Friday (August 7), one week into its near seven-month journey to Mars with the Perseverance rover. This marks the first time the helicopter has been powered up and its batteries have been charged in the space environment. During the eight-hour operation, the performance of the rotorcraft's six lithium-ion batteries was analyzed as the team brought their charge level up to 35 per cent. The project has determined a low charge state is optimal for battery health during the cruise to Mars. "This was a big milestone, as it was our first opportunity to turn on Ingenuity and give its electronics a 'test drive' since we launched on July 30," said Tim Canham, the operations lead for Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Since everything went by the book, we'll perform the same activity about every two weeks to maintain an acceptable state of charge," Canham added. The 4-pound (2-kilogram) helicopter -- a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — is currently stowed on Perseverance's belly and receives its charge from the rover's power supply. Once Ingenuity is deployed on Mars' surface after Perseverance touches down, its batteries will be charged solely by the helicopter's own solar panel. If Ingenuitysurvives the cold Martian nights during its preflight checkout, the team will proceed with testing. "This charge activity shows we have survived launch and that so far we can handle the harsh environment of interplanetary space. We have a lot more firsts to go before we can attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet, but right now we are all feeling very good about the future," said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. The small craft will have a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) experimental flight-test window. If it succeeds, Ingenuity will prove that powered, controlled flight by an aircraft can be achieved at Mars, enabling future Mars missions to potentially add an aerial dimension to their explorations with second-generation rotorcraft.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter recharges its batteries in flight

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NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter sends last message to Earth

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter recharges its batteries in flight