Extraordinary images have surfaced from Mars after NASA flew their Ingenuity helicopter over the planet last year.
The vehicle is one of NASA’s most treasured objects, and has been used for nearly 70 different flights in the 2 years it has been located on the red planet.
However, perhaps its most memorable missions resulted in a bit of a shock for us humans.
Ingenuity sent some pictures back to Earth of an ‘otherworldly’ wreckage.
There’s no spooky alien tale behind it though – the debris actually comes from when Ingenuity landed on the planet in 2021, with assistance from the rover Perseverance.
“There’s definitely a sci-fi element to it. It exudes otherworldly, doesn’t it?” Ian Clark, an engineer on the rover, told NY Times.
“They say a picture’s worth 1,000 words, but it’s also worth an infinite amount of engineering understanding.”
Clark went on to explain why the images of the wreck are so valuable for helping with future expeditions.
“Perseverance had the best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to touchdown,” he continued.
“But Ingenuity’s images offer a different vantage point.
“If they either reinforce that our systems worked as we think they worked or provide even one dataset of engineering information we can use for Mars Sample Return planning, it will be amazing.
“And if not, the pictures are still phenomenal and inspiring.”
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