NASA's Ingenuity helicopter encountered fatal navigation issues on Mars due to the featureless terrain, leading to rotor damage and permanent grounding after Flight 72.
Flight telemetry indicated that shortly after takeoff, Ingenuity's navigation system could not track surface features, which exacerbated the situation in the uncharted sandy terrain.
Engineers believe the high horizontal velocities upon touchdown caused by navigation errors resulted in a hard landing, exerting stress on the rotor blades beyond their design limits.
The investigation revealed that the configuration of the Martian surface created untenable conditions for the helicopter, highlighting the challenges engineers face in adapting technology for extraterrestrial environments.
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