Summer solstice coming up in 7 ½ hours, in the northern hemisphere of Mars (i.e. when Lₛ → 90°, now at 89.81°).

Watch it live along with #Perseverance and #Ingenuity¹ (which is presently watching sand shift in the light summer breeze at the Valinor Hills beach), with Mars24, a Java program by #NASA, based on equations by Allison and McEwen:
https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24/help/notes.html

Download:
https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24/

¹ assuming the #MarsHelicopter is still functional

Safe & Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (#SPLICE) is a #NASA program to develop next-generation landing technologies for planetary exploration.

SPLICE technologies are being considered for use on Mars Sample Return (#MSR), the Europa Lander, Commercial Lunar Payload Services flights, and Gateway.

The image shows #Ingenuity's Hazard Avoidance system in action on Mars and a sample of SPLICE capabilities.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/nasa-advances-precision-landing-technology-with-field-test-at-kennedy/

Did you know the #Mars helicopter #Ingenuity carries piece of Wright brothers' famous plane?

From the first flight on Earth to the first flight on Mars!

Late-night acrylic silliness: #ESA #Juice, #NASA #EuropaClipper, #Ingenuity and #Mariner4.

An alien battleship in another world.

That's not too far from reality: an alien (to Mars) spaceship drops "wheels on the ground", then moves out, and dies.

The Sky Crane after delivering #Perseverance to the Martian ground. Umbilical cut. #Ingenuity held tight under the rover's belly.
Exactly 4 years ago.

De-bayered, processed EDL_RUCAM
RMC: 0.0000 (prelanding)
Sol: 0
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00293/ids/edr/browse/edl/EUE_0293_0692945892_348ECM_N0090000EDLC00293_0050LUJ01.png

Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise

#Ingenuity amazed everyone in late April 2022, when it flew around and captured images of the parachute and backshell that brought #Perseverance and itself to #Mars.

Here, the parachute is seen from orbit through the eyes of #HiRISE, an instrument onboard #NASA's #MRO, launched back in 2005.

The animation spreads over 12 months but lasts only 3 seconds, so the parachute appears flapping.

Credit:
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/@65dBnoise

and these people:
https://www.uahirise.org/epo/about/

@stefani
Haven't seen any. For #Ingenuity we have real footage with actual ground details. One could write an interesting scenario, including her dramatic last flight, and maybe also an interview, now that she is a retiree living at that beautiful beach down in Neretva Vallis, at the Valinor Hills resort.

While waiting for news from #Ingenuity in the past, new ways were devised to keep the excitement high. Here, #Ingenuity was spotted from 480m afar after #Flight48 , by flickering before/after images captured by #Perseverance 11 sols apart.

Animated MCZ RIGHT, LEFT
FL: 110mm
Sols: 737, 748, RMC: 37.0000
Originals: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00748/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZL0_0748_0733346536_832EBY_N0370000ZCAM05142_1100LMJ01.png
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00737/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_0737_0732365748_818EBY_N0370000ZCAM08746_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#Ingenuity's #Flight47 captured from 120m away by #Perseverance on Sol 729. The camera was fixed and set to a 34mm focal length to capture as much of the action as possible, so resolution is not great, but this version zooms in and follows the #MarsHelicopter while it flies across the field, hopefully adding to the visual result.

MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 34mm
Sol: 729, RMC: 36.0000, LMST: 16:07:03

One original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00729/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_0729_0731670427_773EBY_N0360000ZCAM01529_0340LMJ01.png

Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#Flight41 of #Ingenuity scouted Rocky Top, an area north of Three Forks where #Perseverance spent a considerable amount of time during the first phase of its mission, before ascending to the Jezero delta. This video shows Hogwallow Flats and Rocky Top in two sequences, the second one being a "lock-on" view which I like much.

Rotated HELI_NAV animation
Sol: 689, Flight: 41, LMST: 16:02:50
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00689/ids/edr/browse/heli/HNM_0689_0728119185_617ECM_N0410001HELI03935_0000LUJ01.png

Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise

End of Mission

One year ago on this day, Perseverance lost her little flying companion Ingenuity to the dunes of Valinor Hills.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Simeon Schmauß @stim3on
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/ingenuity-at-valinor-hills/

TIL about Rebel Optimism:

Its to easy to fall into the trap that everything is doomed, especially when you are doomscrolling.

Optimism needs concious effort to look past doom and gloom and see that there is actually a lot of positive things going on.

"Because optimism isn’t a feeling; it’s a choice. A discipline. And in a world this messed up, it’s also a rebellion. The future doesn’t belong to the doomsday prophets; it belongs to those stubborn enough to believe it can be better—and reckless enough to make it happen." [1]

Some things that come to my mind spontaneously:

- Chaos Computer Club and the #38c3 which every year has excellent talks, about society and hacking

- The Electronic Frontier Foundation #EFF standing in for digital freedom

- Space Exploration e.g. #ESA #euclid

- #ingenuity the mars helicopter and its team beating all odds and flying 72 times instead of only 5 times.

What are the positive things happening in society that come to your mind?

Lets start an optimism rebellion!

#rebeloptimism #positivity #mentalhealth

[1] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rebel-optimism-how-we-thrive-in-a-broken-world/

In a world where #skills trump certificates, perhaps we need to #rethink the #value of #education. Can structured #learning ever rival the raw #ingenuity of the #streets? #practicality #lifelessons #9to5 #Amazon #MBA #graveyardshifts #business #streetside

https://jiteshbalakrishnan.blog/2025/01/03/lessons-from-the-streets-a-practical-mba/

Stunning landscapes and distant wreckage viewed from on high

Mars Guy - Episode 195

When Perseverance reached the crest of the rim of Jezero crater, it stopped to look back across terrain it had spent nearly four years exploring. This gave it an unprecedented view all the way to the distant wreckage of the spacecraft that delivered it.

Mastcam-Z images processed by Neville Thompson

https://youtu.be/DwWBZl7YMFM

The UHF antenna used to communicate with #Ingenuity will certainly gather a lot more dust until it is used again to listen to, and, with a chance of one in a million, talk to the #MarsHelicopter again.

Processed, cropped MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 34mm
looking from RMC 64.0000
Sol 1357, LMST: 12:54:10

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01357/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1357_0787408930_456EBY_N0640000ZCAM05086_0340LMJ01.png

Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#Ingenuity's engineers and managers next to the Collier Trophy, in June 2022.

Incidentally, all four engineers directly involved with the design and operation of the #MarsHelicopter are either first generation Americans, or born elsewhere in the world. From left to right:
- Teddy Tzanetos, of Greek descent
- Bob Balaram, born in India
- MiMi Aung, of Burmese descent
- Håvard Grip (far right), born in Norway

The Ingenuity experiment. Like the American experiment.

The #MarsAviationAdministration (#MAA) has released their investigation. It's pilot error. Loss of situational awareness. Mars aviation has a 1.4% accident rate. (abs) #NASA #JPL #Perseverance #Ingenuity