NASA to shut down its Ingenuity helicopter as winter and dust season engulf Mars

NASA has decided to give its Ingenuity helicopter a break as the winter and dust season has kicked in on Mars. During this period, the level of dust in the air would be higher with a low level of sunlight which would be insufficient to power Ingenuity's batteries. The helicopter's mission team said that the dust levels are expected to subside later in July, and the batteries will be rested till then allowing them to build their charge back up. 

The helicopter made it to the red planet with NASA's Perseverance rover, which is looking for signs of life at the Jezero crater. This location was chosen by NASA because existing evidence suggests that the 45-kilometre-wide crater once hosted a massive lake a few billion years ago. Since water is considered an essential component for all life forms to survive, scientists hope to find signs of microbial life there if it ever existed. 

As for Ingenuity, the helicopter has broken multiple records since it took its first flight last year and has also won the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory a prestigious award. Notably, the harsh Martian conditions have killed the helicopter's navigation sensor, however, it still managed to fly for the 29th time and soared to a distance of 179 metres at a speed of 5.5 metres per second.

NASA robots and Martian dust

The dust on Mars has always proved to be a major roadblock for the NASA robots exploring the red planet. Over the years, the agency has lost several explorers to the dust clouds that cover the robots' solar panels and cut the energy supply. Currently, the InSight lander, which is mapping Mars' interior and measuring quakes on the planet, is nearing its operational end for the same reason. 

NASA says that Insight's solar panels, which measure about 7 feet (2.2 metres) wide each, are producing less than 500 watt-hours every day as opposed to around 5,000 watt-hours when it landed on Mars in 2018.