New ~20m drive and new location for #Perseverance on Sol 1066, at RMC 50.1534. #Ingenuity is still in sight (light colored areas have visibility to the #MarsHelicopter).
Map drawn using QGIS with data from #MMGIS and imagery from #USGS and #HiRISE
But "post mortem"? Although it helps add some drama, rumors about #Ingenuity's death have been greatly exaggerated 😀.
I see Perseverance tuning in every morning to listen to Ingenuity's transmissions (like a track driver tuned to an AM radio station in the '70s) while climbing up the hills south of the Neretva Vallis Bend.
This is a wide NAVCAM view, and the heli occupies only 8 pixels in the image 😳. However the SUPERCAM telescope should be able to capture good details of the #MarsHelicopter, the best we can get.
Processed, cropped NAVCAM_LEFT
looking from RMC 50.1422
Sol 1063, LMST: 12:49:58
Finally on Sol 1063 #Perseverance did the right thing and backed off 23m to an area where it (most probably) has line-of-site to #Ingenuity, so more images of the #MarsHelicopter can be captured, especially images with its SUPERCAM telescope.
The previous location where Perseverance captured images of the Ingenuity is shown with a green rover.
#Ingenuity managed to move its blades more this time, on Sol 1055. The team wants to assess the damage it suffered after the eventful #Flight72 that brought an end to its flying on Mars.
Animation
"We Are Not Dead Yet". Ingenuity team's moto, per Teddy Tzanetos, PM
Rotated for north up HELI_NAV
Image captured from RMC 72.0001/803
Sol 1055, LMST: 09:07:40
Out of many boring news stories eulogizing or lamenting #Ingenuity, here is a fascinating piece by Eric Berger about how the #MarsHelicopter came to be.
It's always the visionary people who in spite of difficulties persevere and make those great leaps forward. And those visionaries include many non technical roles like managers, administrators, and indeed, politicians.
• There was a choice for a "hero" mission. This would be an arduous flight that would sacrifice the helicopter. Everyone would be a little sad, but it would free #Perseverance to go on its merry way.
• Many of the people who made #Ingenuity possible were not born in the United States: Zurbuchen, Elachi, Aung, Van Zyl, Balaram and many others.
The Ingenuity team has nicknamed the spot where the helicopter completed its final flight “Valinor Hills” after the fictional location in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels, which include “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
a new view of Valinor Hills, where Ingenuity is resting, from a different perspective. Can you spot the little copter? It's barely visible, just a tiny speck by the ridge of a dune.
NASA's Mars #Perseverance#rover acquired this image on Feb. 15, 2024 (Sol 1063), using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera is located high on the rover's mast and aids in driving.