"Ingenuity's Final Resting Place on Mars Named After 'Undying Lands' from 'Lord of the Rings'"

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, grounded after its last flight, has been given the informal name "Valinor Hills" by its team, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series. The location is a nod to the fictional Undying Lands and serves as a fitting resting place for the helicopter, which made 72 flights on Mars. While Ingenuity's flying days are over due to blade damage, it will continue to transmit engineering data to the Perseverance rover, which is focused on collecting samples for a possible Mars sample return mission. NASA plans to deploy flying sentinels on future missions, but budgetary uncertainties may pose challenges.