[Reading Science] Mars' 'Best Friend' Third Reunion... "Are We Doing Well?"

NASA "Mars Rover Perseverance Captures Ingenuity for the Third Time"

Reference photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The third reunion of the Mars duo has taken place. NASA's Mars exploration rover Perseverance has captured the image of its 'companion,' the Mars helicopter Ingenuity, for the third time.

NASA's Perseverance rover operations team posted on their Twitter account on the 12th, revealing images of Ingenuity taken by Perseverance. The team stated, "The Mars helicopter and I (Perseverance) were closer than ever, and we captured it resting on a hill while preparing for flight," adding, "Can you believe Ingenuity is preparing for its 39th flight?"

This is the third time Perseverance has captured Ingenuity. The first was right after landing in Jezero Crater, and the second was in September 2021, recording Ingenuity's 13th flight.

The Mars rover Perseverance recently captured the third image of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter.
[Photo by NASA]

Perseverance and Ingenuity landed together in Jezero Crater on Mars in February 2021. Jezero Crater is approximately 45 km wide and is believed to be a former large lake and river delta region. NASA is exploring this area with Perseverance and Ingenuity, hoping to find traces of ancient life.

Perseverance, about the size of a car and equipped with six wheels, has collected over ten samples of sand, rock fragments, dust, and atmosphere from Jezero Crater. Recently, it deposited these samples in storage tubes at a specific site in Jezero Crater called Three Forks, preparing for future retrieval missions. The plan is to deposit ten storage containers, with six already dropped. NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), plans to send a lander and spacecraft for collection and retrieval by the late 2020s, aiming to bring Martian samples back to Earth as early as 2033. The helicopter mounted on the lander will collect samples during flight and launch them into orbit, where a waiting retrieval spacecraft will capture them and return to Earth.

Location of Mars rovers Perseverance and Ingenuity.
[Photo by NASA]

Perseverance collects two identical samples, storing one internally and depositing the other externally as a precaution. Ingenuity acts as a guide, helping Perseverance find safe paths across the rough surface and terrain of Jezero Crater. Weighing 1.8 kg, this small unmanned autonomous flying vehicle was initially planned as a test to see if flight exploration is possible in an environment completely different from Earth, with different atmospheric density and gravity. However, Ingenuity has surprisingly demonstrated a long lifespan and significant role. On the 12th, it completed its 39th flight, flying 140 meters over 79 seconds. Its total time spent in the Martian sky has reached 64 minutes, with a total flight distance of 7,830 meters.