[zokier]

On the other hand, I'd fully expect NASA/JPL to have IMU telemetry from the EDL. If I'm not completely mistaken, they would eventually get published in PDS here: https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/data.html

For example for MSL (Curiosity, the previous rover) the EDL CK and SPK provides orientation and position data if I'm interpreting this description right: https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/naif/pds/data/msl-m-spice-6-v1...

The downside being that it'll take probably 6-12 months until the data is put to public

(EDL = entry, descent, landing; IMU = inertial measurement unit; PDS = planetary data system)

[MrSourz]

I’ve been thinking more about the navigation of their little helicopter.

On earth were used to being able to use GPS for route planning. If you could use this process in reverse to constantly determine ones position in 3D space above the surface using stored satellite imagery with a downward facing camera cross referenced with whatever gyro / accelerometer based positioning they’re using I wonder if there’d be any benefit. Maybe what they’ve got already is sufficient for anything you’d want to do in the near future.

[zokier]

> If you could use this process in reverse to constantly determine ones position in 3D space above the surface using stored satellite imagery with a downward facing camera cross referenced with whatever gyro / accelerometer based positioning they’re using I wonder if there’d be any benefit

That is pretty much exactly how TRN worked for the EDL. I don't think Ingenuity has much in terms of navigation ability, probably just basic INS. But its also not intended to fly any extended distances, so it doesn't really need any navigation abilities. I'd imagine future copters would use TRN style navigation.

(TRN = terrain relative navigation)