Perseverance rover captures stunning photos of dusty Ingenuity helicopter on Mars

The dusty blades of the robotic helicopter Ingenuity were revealed in an up-close view captured by NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars.

According to a recent tweet by NASA officials, the Perseverance rover approached within a distance of only 75 feet (23 meters) of Ingenuity, its Mars companion that was transported along with the rover to the planet. This marks the first time in nearly two years that Perseverance has come so close to the helicopter.

On Sunday, April 16, Perseverance took some pictures of Ingenuity during its close proximity, which were then shared by NASA on Twitter on April 18. The photos depict the rotors of the helicopter covered in Martian dust, presumably stirred up during takeoff, hovering, and landing.

Well, we don't see this every day!

For the first time in nearly two years, @NASAPersevere is close enough to see the dust on the #MarsHelicopter's rotors. 😮 From about 75 ft / 23 m away, Ingenuity looks to be holding up well in the harsh Martian environment. pic.twitter.com/slVMVRMRam

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL)

On Tuesday's tweet, officials from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), responsible for overseeing both the Ingenuity and Perseverance missions, commented that despite the accumulation of dust, "Ingenuity looks to be holding up well in the harsh Martian environment."

Ingenuity - first object to achieve flight on Mars

Ingenuity's achievement of powered flight on an alien planet is a significant milestone, especially given the challenges posed by Mars' thin atmosphere, which makes lift difficult to achieve. To overcome this hurdle, Ingenuity is equipped with enlarged, uniquely shaped rotor blades that rotate at a speed about 10 times faster than what would be required for flight on Earth.

As of April 13, the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity helicopter had successfully completed its 50th flight on Mars. During this particular flight, the helicopter covered a distance of 1,057 feet (322.2 meters) over 145.7 seconds and achieved a new altitude record of 59 feet (18 meters) above the planet's surface.

Ingenuity's inaugural flight on Mars occurred on April 19, 2021, a mere two months after landing in Jezero Crater. The helicopter has surpassed its initial mission objectives, which were designed to demonstrate its technology in up to five flights.

Aside from its primary purpose as a technology demonstrator, Ingenuity serves as a reconnaissance tool for the Perseverance rover, which is conducting a search for signs of past microbial life and gathering samples for eventual return to Earth. The successful powered flight of Ingenuity on another planet may prove beneficial to future sample return missions and the ongoing quest to uncover evidence of life on Mars.