HOUSTON — As humans, we like to “dare mighty things.”

That’s the motto of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, that borrows from a Theodore Roosevelt quote.

As a species born to live and walk on Earth, humankind has found ingenious ways to adapt to the absence of gravity as we set our sights on deep space, including building robotic explorers that can venture across the cosmos in our stead.

This week, the first photo arrived from Japan’s “Moon Sniper,” showcasing intriguing lunar rocks at its landing site, even though the lander didn’t touch down as planned.

Meanwhile, the European Space Agency has selected two new missions: one that will “surf” through gravitational waves to unravel the mysteries of the universe and another to uncover why Venus didn’t turn out like Earth.

And it’s time to bid farewell to one of the most delightfully plucky robots ever to explore Mars.

After 72 flights in the Martian skies, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has flown for the last time.

Ingenuity served as the Perseverance rover’s faithful companion and aerial scout for nearly three years since its maiden flight on April 19, 2021.

The historic chopper was the first aircraft to operate and fly on another world.

While coming in for a landing on Jan. 18, the rover lost contact with the helicopter. When communication was reestablished, the mission team saw a photo capturing the shadow of Ingenuity’s damaged rotor blade. The blade likely struck the ground, which ended the helicopter’s mission.

The intrepid chopper outlasted its initial 30-day mission, flying higher, farther and faster than its NASA team ever expected and paving the way for the future of aerial space exploration.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our little tough trailblazer,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity’s project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. — CNN