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

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.

After over 70 flights, the Ingenuity helicopter — the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet — crashed in the Martian dunes in January 2024. But its unexpected achievement (engineers hoped it might make five flights) has prompted the conceptual design and planning for what the agency calls its "Mars Chopper."

A featureless stretch of terrain confused the helicopter’s navigation system resulting in a hard landing that snapped its rotor blades.

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.

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 mission leaders said the rover, which had embarked on the journey 3.

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,