NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter has gone far and beyond its original task of completing five flights on the surface of the Red Planet.
The parachute and backshell that protected it and the Perseverance rover were spotted by a four pound helicopter during the flight that took place last week.
Ian Clark, Mars Sample Return ascent phase lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, said in a statement thatPerseverance had the best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to touchdown.
It will be amazing if they reinforce that our systems worked as we think they worked or if they provide a single dataset of engineering information that we can use for Mars Sample Return planning.
Ingenuity's latest trip, its 26th in just over a year, goes to prove how aerial photography could change off-planet exploration, or even improve NASA's chances of safely landing upcoming return sample missions.
The remains are scattered over an entire area. The debris field on the surface of another planet could be used to inform how to safely land NASA's next Mars lander.
The backshell shows that it still has a white coating. According to NASA, the suspension lines connecting it to the parachute are intact.
Ingenuity's team is ready to send the helicopter over the Jezero Crater, which is believed to be an ancient river delta. The helicopter could be sent to the top of the delta to give us a better view of the surrounding region.
The copter could be used to scout for potential landing sites for the upcoming Mars Sample Return mission.
NASA's Mars helicopter spots gear helped Perseverance Rover Land.
There is more on Ingenuity: Mars Helicopter.
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