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KOMPAS.com – Helicopter NASA Ingenuity snapped a photo of the wreckage of the used parachute and the back shell of the device that brought it to Planet Marsis in a state of disrepair.
Unprecedented image, looks like a scene from an apocalyptic sci-fi film, dating from the 19th flight helicopter small on April 26 last.
The photo shows protective equipment helicopter Ingenuity NASA and rover Perseverance when it comes down to the surface Mars on February 18, 2021.
NASA scientists hope the images help understand how the plane landed and inspire future improvements to the process.
The hope is that future missions to Mars can return samples collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth.
“The best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to landing,” said former Perseverance systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ian Clark, in a statement. Live ScienceFriday (29/4/2022).
Read also: NASA Extends Ingenuity Helicopter Mission on Mars, What’s the Task?
However, the image or photo of the wreckage taken by NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter offers a different perspective.
If it confirms that the system works as thought or provides a dataset of engineering information that can be used for planning the return of a Mars sample, this would be great.
“And otherwise, the images are still phenomenal and inspiring,” explains Clark.
The image of the debris on the surface of Mars was taken from a height of about 8 meters above the ground. The Intelligence took off at 11:37 am local Martian time, and flew for 159 seconds.
During that time, the helicopter traveled 1,181 feet (360 meters) and took 10 photos.
“To get the required shot (of the surface of Mars), (NASA helicopter) Ingenuity performs a lot of maneuvers,” said Ingenuity’s chief pilot at JPL Håvard Grip.
Read also: NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Fly Over Mars’ Extreme Terrain
A view of the photo taken by a NASA helicopter
The images show the rear shell, a saucer-like structure and a parachute that slows the craft as it approaches the Martian surface.
At an altitude of 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers), the rover, helicopter, and descent stage are powered off shell and parachute. Landing engines further slowed the rover and helicopter, leading to a smooth landing.
Meanwhile, the parachute and rear shell hit the ground at a speed of about 78 mph or 126 km/h. The captured image shows the debris.
NASA reports, the protective layer on the back appears to have survived the entry of fire into the Martian atmosphere.
The high-strength suspension cable connecting the shell to the parachute snake across the ground appears intact, with one third of the 70.5 ft (21.5 m) high parachute visible as well as visibly undamaged.
Read also: For the First Time, NASA Helicopter Sounds When Flying on Mars
Additionally, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently photographed shipwrecks from the ground, showing debris dwarfed by the slopes of Mars.
While on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter has spent 49 minutes flying and covered a total distance of 3.9 miles or 6.2 km.
Flight 27 was set to the Séítah ridge in the dry river valley of the Jezero crater. This area represents the remnants of a river delta that once spilled into the lake in the crater when the Martian surface was wet.
Its main objectives were to look for signs of possible ancient Martian life in the region, gain a broad view of the topography around the ridge and partially find routes to the top of the delta.
NASA Helicopter Ingenuity will also survey areas that are inaccessible to the rover and potentially look for places where the rover can store geological samples to eventually return to Earth.
Read also: NASA Helicopter Survived the Planet Mars Weather Anomaly
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