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🚀 NASA to 'wiggle' Ingenuity's busted wings to find out what's wrong

Plus: Physicists break record in time crystal research

Following a mysterious “brown-out” of Ingenuity Mars, NASA plans to ‘wiggle’ the ‘xenocopter's’ wings to find out how much damage they suffered after a crash landing during its 72nd and, sadly, last mission. The cause of the rough landing is still unclear, so NASA hopes this will help enlighten them.

According to Teddy Tzanetos, the Ingenuity Project Manager, NASA, and JPL are still uncertain about the cause of the damage to the helicopter's blades. Amongst other scenarios, the cause could also be that the helicopter's power decreased during landing, resulting in unintended contact with the ground.

Learn more about NASA’s final plans for Ingenuity as well as how its offspring will aid in future missions by reading our Must Read.

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MUST READ

Ingenuity's mission is concluding — but not without efforts to assess the damage it endured. In a recent live stream, NASA paid tribute to the Mars helicopter, acknowledging that all four blades sustained damage during a challenging landing on the Red Planet's surface. Still, the cause of the incident remains unclear. The helicopter was originally designed for only five flights but completed 72 missions.

Physicists at TU Dortmund University achieved a breakthrough in time crystal research, setting a new record with one lasting at least 40 minutes—10 million times longer than the previous achievement. While spatial crystals are common with notable properties like symmetry and stability, the extended duration of time crystals holds significant promise for various applications, from electronics and optics to sensors. 

Harvard SEAS researchers are crafting robots to autonomously repair and replace habitat components, fortifying them against unforeseen challenges like meteorite breaches. A primary goal is to enhance habitat self-sufficiency, with robots managing maintenance tasks such as filter replacements and equipment cleaning. The idea is that the habitat will operate independently, enabling astronauts to concentrate on other emergencies.

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

We asked Which aspect of AI learning from toddlers' daily interactions interests you the most? Here are the results.

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ The potential for AI to understand children’s language (12%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Enhancing child-firendly AI interactions (11%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Developing more relatable chatbots for all ages. (12%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Challenges researchers may face in this unconventional method (12%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 All of the above (53%)

We couldn't be prouder or happier with how our little baby [Ingenuity] has done.”

Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity Project Manager, NASA JPL

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