NASA showed what the surface of Mars looks like from the Ingenuity helicopter

NASA has shown a series of unique photographs that show the surface of Mars in detail. They were made by the Ingenuity helicopter, and you can even see the tracks left by the Perseverance rover on them.

According to Space, a series of photos has been combined into one video. They impress and amaze at the same time. And the pictures were taken during the 28th helicopter flight. Today it is considered the last.

The footprints of the rover can be seen in the photographs taken from Ingenuity. It is with him that the helicopter conducts the study of this cold and still unexplored planet. In particular, the Jezero crater is under close attention. At the moment, the rover is confidently moving forward to find samples of the next Martian rocks. They may have signs of the life of ancient microbes.

The Ingenuity helicopter that took the pictures weighs 1.8kg. For NASA, it is very important, as it has already managed to complete 28 flights, which exceeded all expectations. At the time the images were taken, the helicopter flew 418 meters in 2.5 minutes.

Mission to find traces of life on Mars

In February 2021, a helicopter and a rover made a joint landing on the Red Planet. At first, the helicopter was tested for its performance, so it was decided to release it for only five flights. When it became clear that the helicopter could work, they began to use it for reconnaissance of the planet. This was supposed to make it easier for the rover to move around, choosing the safest and most convenient route during the search for life.

In March, it became known that the helicopter had already exceeded its service life, as expected. But scientists decided to leave it for research in order to view the surface of the Red Planet. Ingenuity is solar-powered, but that’s a little tricky, as dust storms often occur on Mars.

In addition, recently NASA presented the recorded sounds that surround the planet. Scientists from these recordings have compiled a real playlist of sounds that take as much as five hours. At the same time, Mars is a fairly quiet planet. For example, such Martian noise as the wind is 20 decibels quieter than the wind on Earth. Therefore, you can hear it, but not the way we do.

Scientists themselves recall that it is so quiet on Mars that at certain moments it seemed that the microphone had simply broken.

One of the first audio recordings was made last year. But then, due to electromagnetic interference, the sounds seemed unpleasant. But the latest entries are much softer.

Scientists continue to advance in their discoveries, exploring the Red Planet. They are constantly publishing new data about Mars, and are also in search of remnants of life on the surface.