#Perseverance moved to the center of the area which is most probably visible by #Ingenuity, and it could appear in one or more of the color RTE images the #MarsHelicopter is capturing every sol, if everything is going according to plan.
This animation shows the path along which #Perseverance will probably be visible by the "stationary testbed" #Ingenuity. The steep slope of the ancient Neretva riverbank starts where this path ends.
Animation
Quickly processed, undistorted, leveled NAVCAM_RIGHT mosaic
looking W (270°) from RMC 52.1146
Sol 1140, LMST: 12:33:16
Earlier today on Mars - Another drive by Perseverance rover. This L-NavCam was acquired just before the end of the drive on Sol 1140, it provides a nice view down Neretva Vallis (upper right)
Earlier today, the #Perseverance rover captured this long distance view of the #Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The new image shows possible footprints from an earlier flight to the left of the current location.
#Perseverance at last turned its SUPERCAM telescope to #Ingenuity. That's from a 500m distance. The smudge between the heli and its footprints on the left is dust or some other SUPERCAM flaw that exists in all images.
The glint from the metallic foot joint is noticeable.
Processed, cropped SUPERCAM_RMI
looking NNE (29°) from RMC 52.0870
Sol 1139, LMST: 12:31:58
#Perseverance's team taking a look back at the #MarsHelicopter, which had been a companion of their rover for the past 3 years on Mars and is now forced to stay behind.
Processed, leveled MCZ_LEFT, FL: 110mm
looking NNE (29°) from RMC 52.0870
Sol 1138, LMST: 13:27:55
#Perseverance seems to be determined to reach Bright Angel as soon as possible, even if it has to do it in short drives every sol, through rocky ground.
If the #MarsHelicopter#Ingenuity does take an RTE picture every Martian morning as stated, then it will most probably capture the rover as it descends slowly the slope of Neretva riverbank. The only question then is when we will see those images.
Inching closer. Another ~70m to go and, maybe, #NASA will check to see if #Ingenuity is still functioning, by taking a couple of RTE images, and hopefully have it get a last glimpse of #Perseverance before it disappears below the horizon.
And, don't say the rover has turned its back on little #MarsHelicopter, even if it appears to be so in the image. For it has a duty, and a long mission still ahead. Say, hasta la vista lil'sis!
Another drive by Perseverance rover on sol 1137, takes the rover further West to site number 52.0748. This L-NavCam was assembled and roughly processed using all 16 available tiles (edited as the tiles are now in)
New location for #Perseverance on Sol 1136, RMC 52.0606. If all goes smoothly, in two more similar drives the rover will be entering the field-of-view of #Ingenuity's RTE color camera, and Perseverance's team will have their last and only opportunity to have a picture of the rover captured from the ground of Mars, at least for the foreseeable future.