NASA donated an aerial prototype of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to the National Air and Space Museum Via AirandSpace
On January 18, NASA bid goodnight to Ingenuity, the first aircraft to make a controlled, powered flight on another world. The 3.5-pound helicopter sustained irreparable rotor damage—possibly due to a hard landing—following its 72nd and final flight over Mars.
And yet, NASA had reason to celebrate. Like other robotic explorers, Ingenuity surpassed its builders’ expectations. What had started as a technology demonstration—engineers had hoped to achieve five flights—became an expedition of more than 70 flights and 128 minutes of flying time.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has honored the helicopter’s achievement by donating the prototype of Ingenuity to the National Air and Space Museum, where it joins a pantheon of Mars explorers that includes the Mars Pathfinder prototype and the Sojourner rover back-up, Marie Curie.
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