“NASA extended Ingenuity flight operations to perform
pioneering flights such as this,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity’s team lead at
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Every time we’re
airborne, Ingenuity covers new ground and offers a perspective no previous
planetary mission could achieve. Mars Sample Return’s reconnaissance request is
a perfect example of the utility of aerial platforms on Mars.”
Entry, descent, and landing on Mars is fast-paced and
stressful, not only for the engineers back on Earth, but also for the vehicle
enduring the gravitational forces, high temperatures, and other extremes that
come with entering Mars’ atmosphere at nearly 12,500 mph (20,000 kph). The
parachute and backshell were previously imaged from a distance by the
Perseverance rover.
We spy with our little eyes…rover landing gear!
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) April 27, 2022
During the #MarsHelicopter’s 26th flight, it took photos of the entry, descent, & landing gear @NASAPersevere needed to safely land on Mars. You can see the protective backshell & massive dusty parachute. https://t.co/1r5uoc5FyM pic.twitter.com/ePlEASIrr0
The Perseverance rover touched down safely in Jezero Crater,
a dried-up lakebed, where scientists hope to find signs of ancient microbial
life. Currently, the rover is collecting soil samples from Mars to send them
back to Earth on a future human mission. These images offer a great opportunity
for scientists to plan the landing of the future mission.
“NASA extended Ingenuity flight operations to perform
pioneering flights such as this. Every time we're airborne, Ingenuity covers
new ground and offers a perspective no previous planetary mission could
achieve,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity's team lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Southern California, in a statement.
The rover had previously imaged the parachute and backshell
from a distance but those images lacked aerial perspective, which these
photographs provide.