During the sixth flight of NASA’s Ingenuity, which was designed to expand the flight envelope and demonstrate aerial-imaging capabilities by taking stereo images of a region of interest to the west, the helicopter nearly crashed. It was commanded to climb to an altitude of 33-feet before translating 492-feet to the southwest at a ground speed of 9 mph, but toward the end of that leg, something happened. Read more for a video and additional information.
The helicopter began adjusting its velocity and tilting in an oscillating pattern and this persisted throughout the rest of the flight. Before landing safely, onboard sensors indicated the rotorcraft encountered roll / pitch excursions of more than 20 degrees, large control inputs, and spikes in power consumption. It was able to survive due to the helicopter’s flight control system, as the engineered made sure it always has ample stability margin.
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Looking at the bigger picture, Flight Six ended with Ingenuity safely on the ground because a number of subsystems – the rotor system, the actuators, and the power system – responded to increased demands to keep the helicopter flying. In a very real sense, Ingenuity muscled through the situation, and while the flight uncovered a timing vulnerability that will now have to be addressed, it also confirmed the robustness of the system in multiple ways,” said the Ingenuity team.
Bonus Images
The fine, rippling structures of these clouds are easier to see with images from Curiosity’s black-and-white navigation cameras. But it’s the color images from the rover’s Mast Camera, or Mastcam, that really shine – literally. Viewed just after sunset, their ice crystals catch the fading light, causing them to appear to glow against the darkening sky,” according to NASA.
