By Tim Binnall
A series of surreal images captured by NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter show the remnants of the Perseverance rover's landing gear that was shed when it arrived on the Red Planet last year. Shared on the space agency's website on Wednesday, the remarkable photos were taken last week during the interstellar rotocraft's 26th flight, which occurred on the one year anniversary of its historic maiden voyage. To commemorate the milestone, Ingenuity journeyed back to where it all began by flying over the location where the Perseverance rover, which carried the helicopter as part of its cargo, completed its fiery touchdown back in February of 2021.
Ingenuity's survey of the site revealed a rather uncanny scene that, in some ways, resembles the debris field from a downed UFO. Spotted on the dusty surface of the Red Planet are the rover's cone-shaped backshell, which is a piece of equipment that shielded the device as it entered the Martian atmosphere, and the parachute that allowed the vehicle to safely compete its touchdown. In both a testament to the perilous journey as well as the skill with which it was accomplished, the backshell remains largely intact, although there are a few pieces of the component strewn around the area of impact.
Beyond merely being a poetic mission in recognition of its anniversary traversing the skies of Mars, the space agency explained that Ingenuity's flyover also served a scientific purpose. To that end, the images allow for a look at the landing equipment from a perspective previously unavailable to the space agency and, in turn, could provide invaluable insights for future scientific endeavors. "Ifthey either reinforce that our systems worked as we think they worked or provide even one dataset of engineering information we can use for Mars Sample Return planning, it will be amazing," marveled Ingenuity team leader Teddy Tzanetos, "and if not, the pictures are still phenomenal and inspiring."