NASA’s stricken Mars helicopter has been spotted in its final resting place among the dunes.
But can you make it out?
To find out if you’re correct, scroll to the bottom for the answer.
The lonely sight was captured by its companion, the Perseverance Mars Rover, on Sunday (February 4).
The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end
Bill Nelson
A stark picture shows Ingenuity gathering dust after suffering irreparable damage last month.
Perseverance captured the scene on its Left Mastcam-Z Camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast.
Ingenuity made history as the first powered flight on another world.
During its time in action, the helicopter performed a total of 72 flights but a broken rotor left it stranded in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater.
Nasa announced the end of mission for Ingenuity on January 25.
“Nasa’s history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned,” the space agency said.
Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years.
Ingenuity flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.
“The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end,” said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson.
“That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped Nasa do what we do best – make the impossible, possible.
“Through missions like Ingenuity, Nasa is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.”
What does it mean for Perseverance?
Despite the death of Ingenuity, Perseverance will continue its work on Mars looking for sign of life.
Perseverance boasts a total of 19 cameras and two microphones, and carries seven scientific instruments.
1. Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry (PIXL)
An X-ray “ray gun” that will help scientists investigate the composition of Martian rock.
2. Radar Imager for Mars’ subsurface experiment (RIMFAX)
A ground-penetrating radar that will image buried rocks, meteorites, and even possible underground water sources up to a depth of 10 metres (33ft).
3. Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA)
A bunch of sensors that will take readings of temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, and other atmospheric conditions.
4. Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE)
An experiment that will convert Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen. A scaled-up version could be used in future to provide Martian colonists with breathable air.
5. SuperCam
A suite of instruments for measuring the makeup of rocks and regolith at a distance
6. Mastcam-Z
A camera system capable of taking “3D” images by combining two or more photos into one.
7. Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC)
From Baker Street to Mars: Sherloc contains an ultraviolet laser that will investigate Martian rock for organic compounds.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
