Perseverance Rover

Ingenuity has five flights and no more see last answer in this Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/mz4duo
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/mz4duo/were_nasa_experts_working_on_the_marshelicopter/


Why doesn't Percy pan the camera to keep Ingenuity in frame?
The remote sensing mast is driven by a motor controller that has not been fully cleared for simultaneous operations with the helicopter due to potential interference with the heli radio link. Due to this operational constraint we have to keep the cameras at a fixed pointing during the helicopter flight. --JM


How autonomously can Ingenuity act or just how detailed do instructions have to be for it to perform? Does it monitor itself for obstacles when flying or does it simply trust the commands it was given?
The latter, Ingenuity does not have obstacle avoidance capabilities. Instead the operations team prepares sequences which you can think of as step-by-step to-do lists for Ingenuity to follow, which include special guidance waypoint commands which define where the team wants Ingenuity to fly during the profile of a flight. All the hard work of localization within a map is done before the flight sequence is drafted here on the ground. --TT


Any chance of catching the sound of the copter using the rover's mic?
Maybe. First, the CO2 in the Mars atmosphere absorbs sound (especially at higher frequencies) more than Earth's atmosphere, so it might be too quiet anyway. There are also some instrument operations that need to be checked out before we try to listen, as the microphone and the video mode of the camera have not been operated together in ground testing. --RL


Will helicopters be used in future missions to replace rovers to explore Mars and what are the benefits of exploration with powered flight compared to something on the ground like Perseverance?
Several studies done by joint teams at Ames and JPL have shown that larger rotorcraft capable of doing more science are possible. These would be useful for areas that are hard to reach because of difficult terrain (canyon walls, rocky terrain, high altitude etc.). One really useful application might be rotorcraft and rover/lander pairs that could significantly improve the efficiency of future missions. --SWM

In which aspect can Ingenuity help astrobiological research?
Jezero Crater is an ancient environment that may have been favorable for life. Ingenuity is a flight demonstrator, but if successful, this can open opportunities to use aerial vehicles to work in conjunction with rovers to explore areas that are too challenging or dangerous for rovers to access. -- WK

If Ingenuity would tip over, is there any possibility for perseverance to lift it back up?

Unfortunately, no. Perseverance and Ingenuity were not designed to physically interact with each other after the helicopter was deployed from the bottom of the rover. -- GT

How many monthly flights do y’all predict per year for the Ingenuity Helicopter?
Ingenuity is set to perform five flight tests. We are so fortunate to be able to collaborate with the rover team on this project. Since this is a collaboration with the rover team, we are borrowing time from the rover. So, after five flight tests, even if Ingenuity is able operate, Perseverance will resume its own mission and stop communicating to Ingenuity. -- WK
 
Fourth flight has been rescheduled.

mars.nasa.gov

Mars Helicopter's Flight Four Rescheduled - NASA Science

Data received from the Mars Ingenuity helicopter on Thursday morning shows the helicopter did not execute its planned fourth flight as scheduled. The helicopter is safe and in good health. Data returned during a downlink at 1:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 a.m. PDT) indicates the helicopter did not...
mars.nasa.gov mars.nasa.gov
 
Only 5 flights? WTF? Fly it until it doesn't fly anymore. What the hell is wrong with NASA?
 
sferrin said:
Only 5 flights? WTF? Fly it until it doesn't fly anymore. What the hell is wrong with NASA?
Click to expand...

The helicopter is a secondary mission -- they've delayed the rover's primary science mission for nearly a month to accommodate the helicopter tests. Time to get on with the main job. And what does flying more than five times actually accomplish? By flight five, they'll have learned pretty much everything Ingenuity has to tell them about flight on Mars.
 
TomS said:
sferrin said:
Only 5 flights? WTF? Fly it until it doesn't fly anymore. What the hell is wrong with NASA?
Click to expand...

The helicopter is a secondary mission -- they've delayed the rover's primary science mission for nearly a month to accommodate the helicopter tests. Time to get on with the main job. And what does flying more than five times actually accomplish? By flight five, they'll have learned pretty much everything Ingenuity has to tell them about flight on Mars.
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Thought it had a camera on it? Seeing the sites. NASA should hire some PR. "Yeah, we have a flyable helicopter on MARS but it's just going to sit there collecting dust because we can't think of anything to do with it." SMDH As for delaying the rover's mission that seems more choice than necessity. No reason they couldn't do both.
 
sferrin said:
Only 5 flights? WTF? Fly it until it doesn't fly anymore. What the hell is wrong with NASA?
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Because it’s only an engineering test and using it tied up the rovers valuable time away from its main mission. Ingenuity cannot operate without perseverance.
 
sferrin said:
Thought it had a camera on it? Seeing the sites. NASA should hire some PR. "Yeah, we have a flyable helicopter on MARS but it's just going to sit there collecting dust because we can't think of anything to do with it." SMDH
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It has a fairly low-res camera but no actual scientific instruments of note. I don't think the camera is even particularly color registered like the rover cams are. "Seeing the sites" isn't a science mission. We know what Mars looks like; what we need to learn is the history and presence of water on Mars, which we can only really figure out by doing geological studies. That's what Perseverance is designed for, and it can't do that properly while it's babysitting Ingenuity. On which topic...

sferrin said:
As for delaying the rover's mission that seems more choice than necessity. No reason they couldn't do both.
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Yes, there is. The rover has to be close to the helicopter, because the helicopter can't talk to Earth or even the Mars orbiters on its own (no weight or energy budget for that). So the rover is the relay, and it has to be within a few hundred meters (and within line-of-sight, I think). Which means it can't drive off to collect new science data at interesting locations. And while the rover is relaying helicopter data, its ability to send its own data is constrained, because bandwidth is not unlimited.
 
They could at least send it up and find a practical ceiling, and then let it hover about snapping pics until it runs the batteries dry. Try to find some windy or even gusty patch of atmosphere and see how well it copes in regards to flight stability and/or station keeping. Etc You'd at least gather some last useful data and make a show of it. But my guess is noone wants to be responsible for a "crash", so it will sit "safely" and uselessly until the wind knocks it over or buries it.
 
mkellytx said:
According to the NASA space flight stream of SN15 just now the helo will be used to scout location for Perseverance to go.
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OK, so from the last press conference, they are looking to extend the mission past five flights as long as it can tag along with the rover, basically. But it's clearly on a not-to-interfere basis.

mars.nasa.gov

NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter to Begin New Demonstration Phase - NASA Science

The Red Planet rotorcraft will shift focus from proving flight is possible on Mars to demonstrating flight operations that future aerial craft could utilize.
mars.nasa.gov mars.nasa.gov

With short drives expected for Perseverance in the near term, Ingenuity may execute flights that land near the rover’s current location or its next anticipated parking spot. The helicopter can use these opportunities to perform aerial observations of rover science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps. The lessons learned from these efforts will provide significant benefit to future mission planners. These scouting flights are a bonus and not a requirement for Perseverance to complete its science mission.

The cadence of flights during Ingenuity’s operations demonstration phase will slow from once every few days to about once every two or three weeks, and the forays will be scheduled to avoid interfering with Perseverance’s science operations. The team will assess flight operations after 30 sols and will complete flight operations no later than the end of August. That timing will allow the rover team time to wrap up its planned science activities and prepare for solar conjunction – the period in mid-October when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, blocking communications.
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TomS said:
mkellytx said:
According to the NASA space flight stream of SN15 just now the helo will be used to scout location for Perseverance to go.
Click to expand...

OK, so from the last press conference, they are looking to extend the mission past five flights as long as it can tag along with the rover, basically. But it's clearly on a not-to-interfere basis.

mars.nasa.gov

NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter to Begin New Demonstration Phase - NASA Science

The Red Planet rotorcraft will shift focus from proving flight is possible on Mars to demonstrating flight operations that future aerial craft could utilize.
mars.nasa.gov mars.nasa.gov

With short drives expected for Perseverance in the near term, Ingenuity may execute flights that land near the rover’s current location or its next anticipated parking spot. The helicopter can use these opportunities to perform aerial observations of rover science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps. The lessons learned from these efforts will provide significant benefit to future mission planners. These scouting flights are a bonus and not a requirement for Perseverance to complete its science mission.

The cadence of flights during Ingenuity’s operations demonstration phase will slow from once every few days to about once every two or three weeks, and the forays will be scheduled to avoid interfering with Perseverance’s science operations. The team will assess flight operations after 30 sols and will complete flight operations no later than the end of August. That timing will allow the rover team time to wrap up its planned science activities and prepare for solar conjunction – the period in mid-October when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, blocking communications.
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Apparently it's not unpossible after all.
 
sferrin said:
Apparently it's not unpossible after all.
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Nope. But not a case where they are going to "fly until it doesn't fly anymore." They have a hard out in August.

The extension does surprise me because the teams were very vocal that they didn't intend to operate it past five flights. But from what I'm reading, this is basically the rover teams saying "fine, keep flying as long as you don't get in our way." They don't really need Ingenuity to accomplish their mission objectives and keeping it flying past 30 days seems pretty unlikely.
 
For Perseverance not being constrained by Ingenuity, it will depend on rover track and state of comparative charges b/w the two.
It will be interesting to see if/how-long Ingenuity can keep pace. This could be potentially a great experience for future explorations (when is flying more efficient than driving? At what mass? In which environmental conditions? ).
 
The best use for "Ingenuity" now seems to be scouting the path for rover, indeed. Even a short hop would allow much better view on the terrain around the rover, which would enable operators to design a path more efficiently. I suppose, it would be mainly used while rover itself is preparing to move, and data exchange is limited.
 
TomcatViP said:
For Perseverance not being constrained by Ingenuity, it will depend on rover track and state of comparative charges b/w the two.
It will be interesting to see if/how-long Ingenuity can keep pace. This could be potentially a great experience for future explorations (when is flying more efficient than driving? At what mass? In which environmental conditions? ).
Click to expand...
Dragonfly to Titan is a perfect example when flying around is better than a rover.
 
TomcatViP said:
For Perseverance not being constrained by Ingenuity, it will depend on rover track and state of comparative charges b/w the two.
It will be interesting to see if/how-long Ingenuity can keep pace. This could be potentially a great experience for future explorations (when is flying more efficient than driving? At what mass? In which environmental conditions? ).
Click to expand...
There's no reason to discuss what is more efficient: flying or driving. These two ways of exploration perfectly complement each other, at least in the case with Percy and Ingenuity. Do you ask how long Ingenuity can keep pace? JPL engineers and NASA decided to extend the lifetime of this drone and the mission itself, so they plan it to last up to August.
 
Yes yes. That's what I ask. The model based equations that would come from that experience could greatly help future Mars explorations.
Don't forget that flying is a matter of mass that get prominently pushed in the forefront with a thinner atmosphere and a low energy level.

For example, if I have a small payload m to bring from point A to B distant from 1km with a 1000ft elevation, when would it be more efficient to fly than drive at equivalent technological level?

Mars is not tinny. Any Mars exploration would be confronted to the efficient coverage of Mars ground and models like this will greatly help to plan remotely for future operations.
 
Flyaway said:
FighterJock said:
Flyaway said:
Ingenuity’s fifth flight to a new airfield:

View: https://youtu.be/PFbzEM8PzHE
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So what will the purpose of Ingenuity’s flight to a new airfield be? Expanding the reconnaissance of possible future areas of interest for Perseverance to explore? And another thing how far did Ingenuity fly on this flight?
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It flew to where it had scouted out to in flight four. This new airfield is facilitate its expanded mission.
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Thanks Flyaway.
 
Ingenuity prepares for its 6th flight. I don't know what about you, but for me, it's exciting. The drone is supposed to fly about 15o meters and rise up to 10 meters, but it's only a plan. I wonder what it will capture during this flight and hope to see something interesting.
 
JacopCooper said:
Ingenuity prepares for its 6th flight. I don't know what about you, but for me, it's exciting. The drone is supposed to fly about 15o meters and rise up to 10 meters, but it's only a plan. I wonder what it will capture during this flight and hope to see something interesting.
Click to expand...

Interesting that they are planning a sixth flight for Ingenuity, I hope that it goes ahead and that they release more images from it.
 
Ingenuity survived in-flight anomaly on Mars -Flight 6:

View: https://youtu.be/ZWlZeWch0EA

This provides an explanation of what happened:

mars.nasa.gov

Surviving an In-Flight Anomaly: What Happened on Ingenuity’s Sixth Flight - NASA Science

On the 91st Martian day, or sol, of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter performed its sixth flight. The flight was designed to expand the flight envelope and demonstrate aerial-imaging capabilities by taking stereo images of a region of interest to the...
mars.nasa.gov mars.nasa.gov
 
Flyaway said:
Ingenuity survived in-flight anomaly on Mars -Flight 6:

View: https://youtu.be/ZWlZeWch0EA

This provides an explanation of what happened:

mars.nasa.gov

Surviving an In-Flight Anomaly: What Happened on Ingenuity’s Sixth Flight - NASA Science

On the 91st Martian day, or sol, of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter performed its sixth flight. The flight was designed to expand the flight envelope and demonstrate aerial-imaging capabilities by taking stereo images of a region of interest to the...
mars.nasa.gov mars.nasa.gov
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This little helicopter is even more strong than we've imagined. But what was it?
 
Curiosity Rover has captured stunning images of the rare, shimmering clouds that exist on Mars. clouds are rare on the Red Planet due to its thin, dry atmosphere. Clouds can typically be found at the planet’s equator during the coldest parts of a Martian year when Mars is farthest from the sun.
hypebeast.com

NASA Curiosity Rover Sends Back Images of Iridescent Clouds on Mars

Cloud sightings are rare due to the thin, dry atmosphere.
hypebeast.com hypebeast.com
 
bearnard97 said:
Curiosity Rover has captured stunning images of the rare, shimmering clouds that exist on Mars. clouds are rare on the Red Planet due to its thin, dry atmosphere. Clouds can typically be found at the planet’s equator during the coldest parts of a Martian year when Mars is farthest from the sun.
hypebeast.com

NASA Curiosity Rover Sends Back Images of Iridescent Clouds on Mars

Cloud sightings are rare due to the thin, dry atmosphere.
hypebeast.com hypebeast.com
Click to expand...
They look so amazing, and sometimes it even seems to me that it's on Earth. Do you agree?
 

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