Snapshots from[{” attribute=””>Mars helicopter’s navigation camera reveals a small piece of foreign object debris (FOD).
During a portion of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s 33rd flight, a small piece of foreign object debris (FOD) was seen in footage (see video below) from the Mars helicopter’s navigation camera (Navcam).
This foreign object debris was not visible in Navcam footage from the previous flight (32). The FOD is seen in Flight 33 Navcam imagery from the earliest frames to around halfway through the video, when it fell from the leg and drifted back to the Mars surface. All telemetry from the flight and a post-flight search and transfer are nominal and show no indication of vehicle damage. The Ingenuity and Perseverance Mars 2020 teams are currently working to determine the source of the debris.
Flight 33 Preview – By the Numbers
- Flight number – 33
- No earlier than Sol 567, Saturday, Sept. 24
- Heading – West
- Max Altitude – 33 feet (10 meters)
- Expected Distance – ~365 feet (111.238 meters)
- Expected Airspeed – 10.6 mph (4.75 m/s)
- Expected Time Aloft – 55.61 seconds
- Goal of Flight: Reposition of the helicopter