NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter claimed to have discover ‘otherworldly’ wreckage on Mars.
Images depict the back shell, or top half of the landing pod, which shielded Perseverance and Ingenuity. The parachute, which was 70 feet wide and slowed the vehicles’ descent, is still attached.
At an altitude of 1.3 miles, the rear shell and parachute separated from the rover. The study of the remains could be beneficial to NASA’s next big Mars adventure. Seitah and Maaz are both made of volcanic rocks, but their compositions differ greatly.
The two formations come together on a ridge of rocks that runs from the back hull to a spot right next to the parachute. “We’d like to know how these rocks might be related to one another,” mission scientists explained.
Kenneth Farley, the mission’s project scientist, was fascinated not just by the “truly spectacular” images of the hardware but also what the hardware happened to land on.
The geology piqued the scientists’ interest, and Ingenuity made another pass over the dividing line between Seitah and Maaz on Sunday. On Thursday, those images will be returned to Earth.
During its drives, Perseverance has also been very active. On April 2, it photographed the small Martian moon Phobos as it passed in front of the sun, causing a partial eclipse. Detailed measurements of Phobos’ orbit reveal information about Mars’ interior structure.
