Just Two Robots Hanging Out on Mars

The Ingenuity helicopter was imaging a dune-covered area of Jezero Crater on its eleventh flight on Mars when the Perseverance rover was caught within the body of its digicam. Depending on the way you see the craft, it both appears like an errant rock formation attempting to slot in amid the Martian panorama or a deer within the headlights. You can’t be blamed if you happen to interpret it in a different way, although; the rover was imaged from about 1,600 ft away and 39 ft within the air.

The flight, undertaken so the helicopter may keep forward of Perseverance because the rover bumbles alongside on the bottom, noticed the craft fly north-by-northwest for simply over two minutes at 11 miles per hour, ultimately touchdown on the eighth airfield it’s picked out since its maiden flight, according to NASA.

You’ll must zoom means in on the total picture to identify the hardworking rover—simply draw an imaginary line up from the helicopter’s shadow on the backside of the picture all the best way to the highest, and Perseverance will likely be tucked amongst some rocks to the correct facet of that line.

It’s not the primary time Ingenuity snapped a picture of Perseverance. The rover additionally snuck into the body on Ingenuity’s third flight, when the helicopter was nonetheless demonstrating the utility of aerial drones on Mars and the rover was nonetheless going via its checks earlier than embarking on its scientific work.

“Ingenuity’s aerial images are awesome – but even better when you get to play ‘Where’s Perseverance?’ with them,” stated Robert Hogg, a senior techniques engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a NASA information launch. “Once you find our rover and zoom in, you can make out some details, like the wheels, remote sensing mast, and the [Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator] on the aft end.”

The rover is slated to maneuver into the dune subject that Ingenuity was imaging, known as the South Séítah, by September, to aim a profitable rock sampling. The rover’s most up-to-date sampling try failed when the goal rock crumbled into wonderful sediment.

More: Here’s What’s Next for NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover