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April 10th, 2021
On hold: Helicopter flight delayed. Mars Perseverance Right Mastcam-Z Camera photo, acquired on April 10, 2021 (Sol 49).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
NASA has scraped a weekend plan to fly the Ingenuity Mars helicopter at Jezero Crater.
The decision to delay the test flight has been based on data from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter that arrived late Friday night.
During a high-speed spin test of the rotors on Friday, the command sequence controlling the test ended early due to a “watchdog” timer expiration. This occurred as it was trying to transition the flight computer from ‘Pre-Flight’ to ‘Flight’ mode, said NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
“The watchdog timer oversees the command sequence and alerts the system to any potential issues. It helps the system stay safe by not proceeding if an issue is observed and worked as planned,” the JPL statement explained. “The helicopter team is reviewing telemetry to diagnose and understand the issue. “
Following that review, Ingenuity engineers are to reschedule the full-speed test.
The glitch has meant rescheduling the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first experimental flight to no earlier than April 14, according to a JPL statement.
Posted in Space News
