AI & Astronomy Imagery Exhibit

The Shadow of Ingenuity's Damaged Rotor Blade

Astronomy Picture of the Day: February 10, 2024

See APOD explanation. — Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Ingenuity

APOD Explanation: On January 18, 2024, during its 72nd flight in the thin Martian atmosphere, autonomous Mars Helicopter Ingenuity rose to an altitude of 12 meters (40 feet) and hovered for 4.5 seconds above the Red Planet. Ingenuity's 72nd landing was a rough one though. During descent it lost contact with the Perseverance rover about 1 meter above the Martian surface. Ingenuity was able to transmit this image after contact was re-established, showing the shadow of one of its rotor blades likely damaged during landing. And so, after wildly exceeding expectations during over 1,000 days of exploring Mars, the history-making Ingenuity has ended its flight operations. Nicknamed Ginny, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity became the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. Before launch, a small piece of material from the lower-left wing of the Wright Brothers Flyer 1, the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on planet Earth, was fixed to the underside of Ingenuity's solar panel.

AI Interpretations

AI Generated Description

This photograph captures the rugged surface of Mars, taken by the Mars rover, Perseverance. The image focuses on a patch of the Martian terrain, showcasing fine, reddish-brown Martian soil interspersed with small rocks and dust. The rover’s shadow is visible in the foreground, providing a unique perspective of the scene and indicating the rover's position relative to the ground. In the center, a small trench or gouge in the soil reveals possible sampling or digging activity by the rover. The composition emphasizes the barren, desolate beauty of the Martian landscape, characterized by its expansive, flat area that fades into distant hills. Overall, this photograph encapsulates both the exploration spirit of the mission and the intriguing geology of the Red Planet.

AI Generated Images

A close-up view of three legged probe set on a plnetary surface that resemebles Mars. Though it has four limbs with solar paneling, its shadow shows only two. One of the solar panels is disjointed as if cut in two and then joined together but offset.

AI Generated with Juggernaut XL V9

Three probes appear to sit on the Martian surface. Their shadows are fuzzy and indistinct. Though they all have large solar panel "wings," the panels do not appear to be physically connected to the many body of the probe. Though they are supposed to be Ingeniuty, there is no hint that these probes may have helicopter blades.

AI Generated with OpenJourney v4

A large probe appears to sit on the Martian surface. It has two poles, one from the center and one from the edge that connect to a slightly smaller probe above it. The smaller probe appears to have spinning helicopter blades, as if it is in flight, but it is attached to the larger, stationary probe. A small mechanical object is in the background with a large canister.

AI Generated with OpenJourney v4

Extended solar panels are arranged in a spiral pattern around a Martian drone, as though they might be rotary blades. A large platform that looks ike a big kitchen scale sits at the bae. The front right leg of the drone is barely connected to the main body of the probe.

AI Generated with SD PhotoReal Photo V2

A large white drone rests on what appears to be the surface of Mars. It has large panels that look like snowboards on the ground under three of its legs. A fourth leg juts out from the leg in the front. Three solar panels appear to float directly above the probe.

AI Generated with SD PhotoReal Photo V2

Two drones appears to sit on the surface of Mars. The larger one in the background has 6 circular solar panels, some of which are attached with thin metal struts. Two elongated panels are at the top. The smaller drone in the foreground has a single circular solar panel at the top, but the shadow indicates it should have a larger piece that juts out to the front. In the far background is a small white probe that appears to be floating.

AI Generated with Stable Diffusion v1.4

Discussion

Though Chat GPT 40-mini was able to correctly identify that this photograph was taken on the surface of Mars, it believes the photo was taken by Perseverance, and is unable to ascertain that the shadow of Ingenuity's rotor blade is meant to be the main subject of the image. Instead, it focuses on describing the "barren, desolate beauty" of Mars, and believes the photograph captures distant hills.

The models we used to generate the AI images show that NASA imagery from the Red Planet was definitely included in their training data. They are able to easily depict a realistic Martian surface, getting the color and rocks generally correct. However, the models do not seem to have a good sense of how to distinguish Martian probes. Juggernaut was most successful in creating something that looks vaguely like Ingenuity, but its rotor blades are unrealistic, and it makes it look as though solar panels are on the rotor blades. The other image generation models are less successful, creating strange machines with disconnected solar panels.