Relying on remote data, including photographs taken after the flight, the investigators believe that “navigation errors created high horizontal velocities at touchdown,” which most likely resulted in Ingenuity experiencing a “hard impact on the sand ripple’s slope,” causing it to pitch and roll.

"When running an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, you don't have any black boxes!" NASA's Håvard Grip said.

The Perseverance rover has reached the top of the Jezero Crater rim on Mars, a hike that rose 1,640 feet — higher than the Empire State Building is tall.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which landed on Mars in 2021 alongside the Perseverance rover, crashed during its 72nd flight on January 18, 2024. The mishap occurred due to a software glitch, leading to

Imagine how much more difficult it would be to diagnose a helicopter accident that took place 69 million miles away with none of the usual data present to help. NASA had to do just that after its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter suffered an accident on Jan.

Ingenuity may never fly above the surface of Mars again, but the downed helicopter is otherwise healthy and could serve as a weather station for decades, JPL says.

A new NASA report finally reveals the most likely cause behind the tragic crash of the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity.

NASA built the Ingenuity helicopter for a quick jaunt around Mars. However, the aircraft was unexpectedly sturdy, completing an incredible 72 flights before its mission came to an end following a hard landing early this year.

Even in death, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is helping us learn about Mars. The small aircraft met the demise of its main mission on 18 January 2024, after nearly three epic years of flitting around in the thin Martian atmosphere,