First aerial picture of Mars – watts with it?

From NASA

April 23, 2021

This is the first color image of the surface of Mars captured by an aircraft in midair. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took it with its color camera during its second successful flight test on April 22, 2021. At this point, Ingenuity was 5 feet above the surface and sloping (moving the camera’s field of view upward). So the helicopter could begin its 2-meter translation to the west – away from the rover. The image, as well as the inset showing a close-up of part of the tracks left by the Perseverance Mars rover and the surface of Mars, shows the usefulness of exploring the Martian terrain from the air.

Close-up of the first color image of the surface of Mars captured by an aerial vehicle. Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech

The twisting, parallel discolorations in the surface show the profile of the six-wheeled rover. Persistence itself is at the top center, just outside the frame. “Wright Brothers Field” is located near the helicopter’s shadow, bottom center, with the helicopter’s actual starting point just below the picture. Part of the landing sites on two of the helicopter’s four landing legs can be seen on the left and right of the image, and a small portion of the horizon can be seen in the upper right and left corners.

Ingenuity’s high-resolution color camera is mounted in the helicopter’s fuselage and points approximately 22 degrees below the horizon. It contains a 4208 x 3120 pixel sensor.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautical Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided extensive flight performance analysis and technical support during the development of Ingenuity. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, Snapdragon, and SolAero also provided design support and key vehicle components. The Mars Helicopter Delivery System was designed and manufactured by Lockheed Space Systems, Denver.

Photo credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Last update: April 23, 2021 Editor: Tony Greicius

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