【succulent eroticism】

The succulent eroticismIngenuity helicopter is too damaged to ever fly again. Yet before its final flight, NASA's historic Mars craft captured a sprawling view of the Martian desert.

In the aftermath of a "rough" landing during its 72nd flight, the small experimental chopper was left with at least one severely broken rotor, a tip potentially snapped off after crashing into the rocky ground. Yet on one of Ingenuity's final flights, flight 70, the NASA craft took in the scene you see below.

It's a vista of sprawling sand dunes. In the distance are rock-strewn ridges and mountains. And in the upper left corner you can spot the end of a helicopter leg.

SEE ALSO: NASA spacecraft keeps on going faster and faster and faster NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flying over smooth terrain in December 2023. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS

Ingenuity snapped this image from some 39 feet (12 meters) above the ground on Dec. 22, 2023. Its final flight would be less than a month later.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

It turns out those picturesque, flowing Martian dunes were likely the cause of Ingenuity's demise. The helicopter navigated by using software to track the movement of objects, like rocks, below. But the sandy terrain was largely "featureless," the space agency explained.

"The more featureless the terrain is, the harder it is for Ingenuity to successfully navigate across it," NASA said in a statement. "The team believes that the relatively featureless terrain in this region was likely the root cause of the anomalous landing."

"That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined"

Still, the Ingenuity mission vastly overachieved over nearly three years of extraterrestrial flight. It became the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. NASA engineers initially hoped the demonstration craft, with four-foot-long rotors, might prove flight was possible on Mars, perhaps flying five times. But it flew 72 times.

---

Related Stories

---

• NASA video shows spectacular recreation of pivotal Mars event
• Japan’s moon landing picture might be the space photo of the decade
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• An enormous Martian cloud returns every spring. Scientists found out why.
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

It was a scout. And a planetary explorer. The future exploration of Mars — and search for past Martian life — will almost certainly involve future aerial craft, and have Ingenuity to thank. After all, this persevering craft proved that flight on Mars, a world with a profoundly thin atmosphere, was possible.

"That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best — make the impossible, possible," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said when announcing that Ingenuity had taken its final flight.

---

Featured Video For You

---

NASA spacecraft gets extremely close to volcanic world, snaps footage

---

• Life
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Tech
• Shopping
• Science
• Games
• Digital Culture

• Best laptop deal: Save $390.99 on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
• Samsung's new Galaxy S21 line puts a premium on durability
• What is a 'dotard', anyway?
• Sony's Airpeak drone makes its debut at CES 2021
• Early Prime Day deals on self
• 'Blithe Spirit' is a bit of forgettable fun for a drab, drizzly evening
• TikTok introduces stricter privacy rules for its youngest users
• Pornhub: 'Talk Like a Pirate' day inspired some very X
• CES 2025: The best smart glasses
• Photos of free school meal packages in the UK spark outrage online

• The Paris climate agreement just took a big step toward becoming international law
• Netflix says it knows exactly when you get hooked on its shows
• Get an exclusive look at Hulu and AwesomenessTV's new series 'Freakish'
• Rob Kardashian pulls off platinum blonde as well as his sisters
• Blake Lively and Amy Schumer call out 'Girls' Life' magazine
• Twitter to livestream general election debates with Bloomberg Media
• London police officer has epic dance off with person in giant pig costume
• Charlie Sheen is making a movie about a 'loveable man
• First food waste supermarket opens in the UK
• The Dodgers just trolled Madison Bumgarner with these t

• Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
• Scream into the void until Inauguration Day with Just Scream
• Pizza shop turns sign against marriage equality into one opposing pineapple
• Blimping ain't easy: YouTuber works his way up to getting an actual blimp to honk at him
• Best Amazon deal: Save 20% on floral and botanical Lego sets
• How to watch the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event
• Dog, who has probably never seen stairs, decides a leap of faith is the best course of action
• 'ASMR toys' at big box stores may just be fidget toys in disguise
• Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
• Melania Trump spoke out against bullying and Twitter can't take the irony

• Clean energy projects soared in 2016 as solar and wind got cheaper
• MacBook Pro is getting MagSafe again, report claims
• Hell yeah at this daredevil raccoon hitching a ride on a police cruiser
• Climate scientists harness the power of moms to save the planet
• Best iPad deal: Save $70 on 10th Gen Apple iPad
• J.K. Rowling totally annihilates Fox News interviewer in less than 140 characters
• This pigeon is way more religious than you'll ever be
• 'WandaVision's' sitcom charm overpowers Marvel's return: Review
• Best free gift card deal: Get $10 Best Buy gift card with $100 Apple gift card
• This blogger tried to get free food and it was a bad, bad idea