APOD: The Shadow of Ingenuity's Rotor... (2024 Feb 10)

[johnnydeep]

I'm curious about the little bright blue dot in the lower left quadrant of the ingenuity shadow photograph. Is that a camera anomaly or something in the Martian soil? It looks almost like a tiny piece of turquoise. Anyone else see it?

There is a big chunk at top left, two little chunks left of the rotor, and a broken piece right of the rotor. Don’t know what.

That "big chunk" is part of Ingenuity!

[Fred the Cat]

I don't think the communications loss was related to distance.

Unfortunately, its end was also ground-breaking.

More like rotor breaking!

Or both? The " soil" looks like it may have been recently disturbed.

[johnnydeep]

Unfortunately, its end was also ground-breaking.

More like rotor breaking!

Or both? The " soil" looks like it may have been recently disturbed.

Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, the soil does indeed look like a "shovel" of some sort (perhaps the rotor itself!) has crudely dug out a chunk of it to the left of the rotor shadow!

[Guest]

The Wright Flyer of 1903 was NOT "the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight" on Earth! In 1884 the airship La France made a 23-minute, 5-mile round trip flight, returning to her starting point against the wind. Other less-successful craft made powered flights even before that.

The Wright Flyer was the first aircraft to achieve "heavier-than-air" powered, controlled flight. That is the achievement being referred to here.

Steve

Of course! But that's not what they say here.