Mars helicopter spots wreckage of rover’s jettisoned parachute and backshell

Still, it’s clear the images Ingenuity took are a bit more informative than those Perseverance captured. That’s why scientists plan to continue analyzing these new aerial shots over the next several weeks.

Providing a bird’s eye view

Moving forward, Ingenuity will continue scouting the way for its roving companion as they venture further into Jezero Crater’s fan-shaped river delta.

This ancient delta once flowed with liquid water that filled the lake that existed in the crater some 3.5 billion years ago. Due to the churning waters and muddy conditions common in river deltas, the location is a prime target that scientists want to search for signs of past martian microbial life.

However, the now-dry region is scattered with hazards such as cliffs, boulders, and sandy patches. That’s why Ingenuity plans to carry out additional flights to help the Perseverance team determine which of the two river channels the rover should climb to reach the top of the delta, which stands some 130 feet (40 m) above the surrounding landscape.

In the meantime, the helicopter has already completed its 27th flight, which focused on scouting out a nearby area of scientific interest. According to Håvard Grip of JPL, Ingenuity’s chief pilot: “Our landing spot [for Flight 26] set us up nicely to image an area of interest for the Perseverance science team on Flight 27, near ‘Séítah’ ridge.’”