Scientists and engineers now have a new tool for the Perseverance rover to help them determine where it will go next. The Ingenuity helicopter, a tiny rotorcraft that was hidden in the rovers' belly, is now the new tool. Ingenuity now does aerial surveys in order to plan ahead for Perseverance.
Ingenuity took 10 color images of Perseverance's current flight. These were used to aid the team in deciding whether Perseverance should stay in its current position and continue scientific investigations, or if it should be driven to South Setah to look at potentially interesting rocks.
These images of South Setah represent the most important scientific discovery Ingenuity has made to date, according to Ken Farley (project scientist for NASA's Perseverance Rover). Part of their value could be in the things they don't show. The image may not show sedimentary layers in rocks, and it is possible that there are areas that will be difficult for the rover to negotiate. Our science and rover driving team have much to learn about how to best respond to this new data.
Image taken by Ingenuity's 12th Mars flight. Credit: NASA/JPL
Images were taken by Ingenuity at 33 feet (10 metres) altitude. According to the team, the 12th flight of the helicopters was the most difficult the team had ever done. The flight was also the longest duration (169.5 seconds), and featured multiple waypoints. It flew from South Setah's relatively plain terrain to more challenging terrain inside.
Perseverance has captured over 125,000 images since its landing on Mars six months ago. These images are amazing. They not only show stunning views from another planet, but also allow scientists to observe the rocks and Martian regolith. The images are important for engineering purposes as they allow the drivers of rover vehicles to determine the best route forward based on the information in the images.
The Perseverance team also has the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's power at its disposal. MRO is equipped with the most powerful camera to date, and can capture details as small as a meter (3 ft) in size. It also creates precise 3D maps of its surface. MRO, a complementing camera that gives a greater context of the surface's surface, examines the surface in great detail to identify potential geologic processes that may be of interest to the rover.
This annotated photo shows the track of NASA's Perseverance Rover since its arrival on Mars on February 18, 2021. Perseverance made its initial sample-acquisition attempt in Crater Floor Fractured Rough (labeled "CF-Fr"), right of the center of the image. The Citadelle can be found in the lower third of the graphic, just left-of-center. This graphic was created using terrain images taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
MRO was the source of most of what Ingenuity knew about the southern part of the Setah feature prior to Ingenuity's latest flight. Based on the data, the team believed that the site could be a treasure trove in complex geology. This information could prove to be valuable as the rover team seeks out signs of ancient microbial activity and attempts to map the area's geology and understand its history.
Ingenuity now has additional data showing signs of sedimentary rock layered in water. There are also interesting rocky outcrops that the rover can access and safe routes that the rover could follow into the area.
Farley said that this image could be saying that we don't need to travel further west to get the best geologic variety for this first science campaign. We have valuable information about what we might encounter if we make the South Setah trip. If we decide to stay at Artuby Ridge, our current location, we will have saved valuable time. It's a win-win situation.
We will keep you updated on Ingenuity's next flight and where Perseverance is next.
Caption: Flight 12 View from South Setah: This view of South Stah in Jezero Crater was taken by NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicop on August 16, 2021. It has been useful for the Perseverance Rover science team to plan its science investigations. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Source: JPL
