Winter is coming - at least on the red planet. Part of preparing for this turbulent period on Mars means that the ingenuity helicopter needs to be prepared for cold temperatures. After losing contact with the Mars helicopter in a short time, NASA designed a new plan, which should help wit spend the Martian winter.
NASA's "smart" helicopter missed a communication check-in
NASA lost communication with the smart last week. However, the space agency managed to re-establish contact with the perseverance probe after a brief interruption. NASA said that this is the first time that the "wit" and "perseverance" have failed to communicate since the combined landing in February 2021.
Wit is essentially a partner of the perseverance probe. It was also the first powered aircraft to operate in another world. Because of its close cooperation with perseverance, it communicates and exchanges data with the rover every day. However, on May 3, the helicopter missed the opportunity of daily check-in.
NASA believes that more dust in the air caused the wit helicopter to lose power overnight. This resets the helicopter's onboard clock and misses the check-in time. Because it missed the check-in time, NASA had to keep the perseverance in a waiting state to obtain the check-in information.
Fortunately, it passed. But as the Martian winter deepens, NASA expects temperatures to fall even more. In addition, the amount of dust in the atmosphere is likely to thicken. Therefore, the agency is taking some new measures to help reduce the problems that smart may encounter.
How does NASA prepare for Martian winter
Wit has survived far longer than NASA expected. The agency initially designed only Mars based helicopters to explore 30 suns. However, its exploration time has now far exceeded the initial 30 suns. It's only a matter of time before the helicopter exits.
But that doesn't mean NASA has to give it up. And the space agency has no plans to do so. In fact, it has come up with some new ways to help ensure that the smart helicopter survives the increase of dust storms and the decrease of temperature.
NASA sent new instructions to the helicopter, which should allow it to save electricity. Part of this process involves lowering the temperature at which the helicopter begins to activate its heaters. Now, instead of starting the heater at 5 degrees Fahrenheit, it waits until - 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This should help the battery maintain its charge overnight.
However, some people worry that these new settings will put the internal components of the "smart" helicopter at risk. Unfortunately, however, the team will not know until the winter weather starts.
"Our first priority is to maintain communication with wit in the next few suns, but even so, we know there will be major challenges ahead," Teddy tzanetos, head of the ingenuity team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a NASA announcement.