The Guardian (UK) reports that NASA’s InSight lander “has delivered what could be its final message from Mars, where it has been on a history-making mission to reveal the secrets of the Red Planet’s interior.” In November, the space agency “warned the lander’s time may [be coming] to an end as dust continued to thicken and choke out the InSight’s power.” A message shared on the NASA InSight Twitter account on Monday read: “My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me.” The robotic geologist, “armed with a hammer and quake monitor, first touched down on the barren expanse of Elysium Planitia in November 2018.”
Full Story (The Guardian – UK)
Tag: JPL
AIAA Marks First Flight on Another Planet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) marks today’s historic first flight of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher issued this statement:
“What an amazing sight – an aircraft flying over Mars! The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made the first ever powered, controlled flight on another planet today. Congratulations to our corporate member, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the whole Ingenuity team. Your innovative and inspirational thinking continues shaping the future of aerospace.
“We all know the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright taking a huge risk and proving to the world that heavier-than-air, powered flight was possible. Today, we saw how taking off-world risks proves anything is possible. From this day forward, we’ll remember 19 April 2021, at Jezero Crater, Wright Brothers Field, Mars, just as we have remembered 17 December 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Earth.
“Earlier this year, we watched the Perseverance rover’s landing on Mars, carrying Ingenuity onboard and showing us what your motto – Dare Mighty Things – means. We are eager to witness the team achieve the next mission milestones, especially Ingenuity’s next test flight. There’s more work to do as we accelerate our off-world future. Go Ingenuity! Go Perseverance!”
First Video of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicpoter in Flight
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
NASA Shares Video of Ingenuity’s First Flight on Mars
The Washington Post reports that NASA “shared the full video of its Ingenuity helicopter’s flight on the surface of Mars on April 19. Engineers also shared a reconstruction of the flight as well as photos from chopper’s landing camera.” Florida Today reports that the flight “was captured on several cameras including a video camera on the Perseverance rover, which was standing by.” Over the “next few days, the helicopter team will receive and analyze all data and imagery from the test and formulate a plan for the second experimental test flight, scheduled for no earlier than Thursday.”
Full Story (Washington Post); More Info (Florida Today)
First Video of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicpoter in Flight
NetJets Close to 1,000 Aircraft
Aviation International News reports, “With planned additions and no expectations to dispose of any of its current aircraft, NetJets is on track to have nearly 1,000 jets in its fleet by the end of next year, Patrick Gallagher – the fractional lift provider’s president of sales, marketing, and service – said yesterday at Corporate Jet Investor Miami.” The company currently utilizes 850 aircraft globally across the US and Europe. NetJets will take delivery on another 25 to 30 new aircraft before the end of the year, which brings 2022 new acquisitions to approximately 75. “Next year, the company expects to intake more than 100 new-production jets. At these rates, Netjets accounts for approximately 12 percent of the industry’s jet production.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
NASA’s InSight Nears End of the Line
SPACE reports, “So much dust is choking off the solar power supply to NASA’s InSight lander that the Mars mission, which is operating well past its expiration date, is expected to fall silent very soon.” The craft is expected to run out of power in the next few weeks. InSight has been operating on Mars since it landed in 2018 – on a mission to help measure the interior of the red planet. The craft initially was supposed to last two years, but has far exceeded expectations.
Full Story (SPACE)
NASA Reestablishes Contact with InSight Lander
CNET News reports that NASA’s InSight lander “went into safe mode – a mode designed to protect the lander – on Jan. 7 after a dust storm reduced sunlight to the solar-powered machine.” NASA JPL said Tuesday, “The mission’s team reestablished contact with InSight Jan. 10, finding that its power was holding steady and, while low, was unlikely to be draining the lander’s batteries.”
Full Story (CNET News)