https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1600162414842228736

"An all-time high for the #MarsHelicopter!
Ingenuity completed Flight 35 over the weekend and set a new max altitude record, hitting 46 ft (14 meters) above the Martian surface." See more stats in the flight log: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Flight-Log

'NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has completed its 50th flight on Mars. The first aircraft on another world reached the half-century mark on April 13, traveling over 1,057.09 feet (322.2 meters) in 145.7 seconds. The helicopter also achieved a new altitude record of 59 feet (18 meters) before alighting near the half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) “Belva Crater.”'

and:

'“When we first flew, we thought we would be incredibly lucky to eke out five flights,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead at JPL. “We have exceeded our expected cumulative flight time since our technology demonstration wrapped by 1,250% and expected distance flown by 2,214%.”'
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-...es-50th-flight

Agreed.
A few extinction events in the past didn't kill the planet, it kept spinning around that yellow power generator.
But if Jupiter decides to visit again, better get on that rocket to Titan... oops maybe not.

Take a look at your PC or SmartPhone, whatever you use to view these messages, and take a moment to recognize that without solid software, it is quite precisely just a number of lumps of inert metals and plastics worthy of being mere landfill. That Ingenuity has been so wildly successful, and perhaps most importantly in it's flexibility and on-the-fly adaptability to correct and/or refine operations, is likely an important milestone and proof-of-concept for Linux in Space exploration, especially when added to Space X's commitment to Linux. It's going to be interesting to witness changes in software going forward with all space agencies and just how much and how quickly Linux becomes increasingly employed.

NASA JPL

@NASAJPL
"60 flights – and another new record!

Ingenuity completed is Flight 60, breaking a groundspeed record by hitting ~17.9 mph (8 m/s). The mighty #MarsHelicopter covered 1,116 ft (340 m) in 133 seconds at an altitude of 53 ft (16 m)."
https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1706780093555843142
https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Flight-Log

Bad luck on flight 72:
"STATUS UPDATES | January 19, 2024
Flight 72 Status Update
Written by NASA/JPL
On Jan. 18, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter executed its 72nd flight at the Red Planet. The flight was designed as a quick pop-up vertical flight to check out the helicopter’s systems, following an unplanned early landing during its previous flight. Data Ingenuity sent to the Perseverance rover (which acts as a relay between the helicopter and Earth) during the flight indicates it successfully climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters). During its planned descent, communications between the helicopter and rover terminated early, prior to touchdown. The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to reestablish communications with the helicopter." https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/hel...status-update/

Sad to hear, hope they can get it working. But it greatly exceeded expectations.

In fact it performed so far above expectations plans are in the works to custom build another to explore Titan. It's a landmark achievement for sure.

Good news - for the moment.
"NASA JPL

@NASAJPL
Good news today: We've reestablished contact with the #MarsHelicopter after instructing @NASAPersevere to perform long-duration listening sessions for Ingenuity’s signal.

The team is reviewing the new data to better understand the unexpected comms dropout during Flight 72."

https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1748883252604236281

Wow! I'm going to have to try to find out new articles about how the engineers are enjoying working with open source Linux as opposed to the old proprietary standard. Since SpaceX uses Linux as well, it could be a potent harbinger of things to come for Linux.

Sad day, but a great mission!
"NASA’s history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight."
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-...r-mission-ends

Any time a mission ends it is sad, but this one more than exceeded expectations... Flying on Mars for the first time and being successful for 72 flights... So well done NASA.

Surely NASA has a Right to Repair?

I hope the tiny AI in the chopper isn't self conscious. What a horrible fate, knowing you're left out here...

Sort of OT but just askew a bit since it's about AI abandoned and all alone on some forsaken planet. Many years ago I read a cool Science Fiction short story, or possibly just a chapter in a full length one. I'm old and it was a long time ago. Anyway it begins with a lone pilot of a sort of scout ship crash landing on an abandoned and once automated mining planet. The mine management simply left or rather neglected to ever go back there once the specific rare ore ran out. The AI in charge that had but 2 basic commands -1) Maintain all machinery, and 2) Dig and refine ore.

Since records showed the crashed pilot the planet had been abandoned decades ago he assumed it was dead. Much to his surprise he saw something in the distance that seemed to be moving and heading his way. Surprise turned to puzzled fear when it began firing on him. He disabled it with gunfire and continued on to the base camp where he hoped to salvage gear and tools to fix his damaged ship. To his consternation he then saw 2 more bots heading his way but soon he noticed they ignored him, heading for the attack bot he'd all but destroyed. He watched as the 2 new bots repaired the first bot when he decided he should get out of sight. Before he was out of binocular range he looked back at the now repaired attack bot who had resumed patrolling but paying him no mind.

After traveling a few miles he was attacked by a different bot but when he backed up a bit seeking cover, this bot stopped, wheeled around and resumed patrolling. The pilot began to wonder if these bot had prescribed areas. The story went into detail and developed along the 2 day trip to base camp, but I'll skip all that and get to the point now.

Upon arrival at the base that he expected to be dark and covered in dust he was a bit shocked to see lights on, and a clean, neat mining operation humming with machinery as if it has just delivered a routine shipment. It was then he discovered the management AI had never been shut down and slowly he began to piece together what must have happened. The Management AI was conscious with just 2 simple duties but all alone and with no discernible purpose so it re-purposed some of the mining machinery, first to just patrol and protect and later to attack, destroy and others to repair or build replacements creating a never-ending chess game the AI could observe and tweak for it's own entertainment. Being management and problem solver, it had the need to busy itself so it created a game that could evolve and recover to go on endlessly. It had become God of it's domain.

That could be from Niels E. Nielsen? Or perhaps Asimov?


Note to self: time to see Wall-E again?