Thread by @akaschs

Update on #MarsHelicopter Ingenuity. As the heaters and electronics have been shut off at night to conserve power, one of the navigation sensors, called the inclinometer, has stopped functioning. But the team will still be able to fly it soon using some spare accelerometers.
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The inclinometer's two accelerometers measure gravity prior to spin-up and takeoff; the direction of the sensed gravity is used to determine Ingenuity's orientation. NASA scientists had created a backup method to generate this data before Perseverance landed on Mars!
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The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) contains accelerometers which can provide similar but less accurate data. The new software, already being uploaded, will in real-time patch this data in place of the data from the Inclinometer.
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The SCA100T dual-axis inclinometer is made by Murata in Finland. Not sure whether Ingenuity uses a commercial part or a space-hardened one.
muratafinland.com/sensor-develop…
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More testing and commissioning activities are planned for the next few sols.
Ingenuity has already passed all of its original mission goals and hopefully it will be ready to take flight again soon and play its role as scout buddy for Perseverance.
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Check out this earlier thread on how dust and the winter season is affecting the battery capacity of #MarsHelicopter Ingenuity and the steps being taken to deal with the situation.

https://twitter.com/akaschs/status/1530366699429629952

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For more details on the story, see mars.nasa.gov/technology/hel…
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