I believe we can now reconstruct the last moments of #Ingenuity's #Flight72 with some certainty. The actual trajectory may be a little more complicated, e.g. turning while hopping, but we'll never know.

EDIT: there is a new theory about Flight 71, see comments.

Animation

Processed MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 110mm
looking NNE (16°) from RMC 52.0000
Sol 1130, LMST: 16:19:24

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01130/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1130_0767269765_831EBY_N0520000ZCAM09152_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#MarsHelicopter #Perseverance #Mars2020 #Solarocks #Space

There are some new marks visible on the regolith ripple, that were previously hidden behind the crest. This will definitely change the way the #Flight72 landing events have been interpreted by the #MarsHelicopter team.

Zoomed-in, processed MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 110mm
looking E and down from RMC 51.2578
Sol 1110, LMST: 12:02:00

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01110/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1110_0765478407_069EBY_N0512578ZCAM09133_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#Mars2020 #Solarocks #Space

#Perseverance has another chance to get a glimpse of #Ingenuity at its sandy retirement resort in the following sols, and it may be the best of all, closer and from a different perspective than previously. Images taken with the SUPERCAM telescope may now capture landing marks from #Flight71, for which there is very little information available (the flight log still has no distance data for either #Flight71 or #Flight72) .

What's encouraging is that there
1/

#Mars2020 #NASA #Solarocks #space

According to #Ingenuity's Chief Engineer Travis Brown (2h interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4XpLZqc6ao), the plan for the heli after #Flight72 was to meet #Perseverance somewhere close to Bright Angel, a future science target for the rover. The rover would take some pictures of the heli from close range to document changes on the hardware that had occurred over the course of 3 years.

Brown also mentioned that Ingenuity's budget was running dry

1/

#MarsHelicopterCrash #NASA #Mars2020 #Solarocks #space

NASA SpaceFlight #NSF had a very interesting live interview with Travis Brown, PhD, #Ingenuity's current Chief Engineer. Travis said that in spite of an original though/assumption that Ingenuity's rotors had hit the ground during landing of #Flight72, they now tend to believe that it was rather a very hard landing that damaged the rotors, since there is no evidence anywhere on the regolith of a blade hit.

Earlier fact list here:
https://mastodon.social/@65dBnoise/112032961625951266

#Mars2020 #MarsHelicopterCrash #Solarocks

This is a spreadsheet collecting facts, events, and hypotheses about the #MarsHelicopterCrash during #Flight72.

For any analysis to be more than just a hunch, it must at least state what facts, assumptions, or calculations it is based on. Alternative hypotheses, when most of the actual evidence is unknown or can take different explanations, can make use of different or overlooked facts, and can offer grounds for their falsification.

#Ingenuity #Mars2020 #NASA #Solarocks #Space

A reworked hypothesis about #Ingenuity's last #Flight72 explained with an animation. It is based on a number of assumptions, most of which come out of #NASA's statements.

Animation explained in alt text.

Processed, cropped MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 110mm
looking NW (320°) from RMC 50.1534
Sol 1067, LMST: 10:27:39

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01067/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1067_0761655208_206EBY_N0501534ZCAM05186_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

Thread
1/6

#Mars2020 #Solarocks #Space