PASADENA, CA – After 72 groundbreaking flights, the Ingenuity helicopter’s mission on Mars has come to an end. Its partner in exploration, the Perseverance rover, is now shifting its focus to geological discoveries on the Red Planet that may provide insights into its ancient history.
Ingenuity sustained damage to a rotor blade during its final flight, marking the conclusion of a three-year mission that began on the floor of Jezero Crater. The Ingenuity team has ended the mission in Neretva Vallis, a channel that once fed water into an ancient lake on Mars.
Having achieved controlled and powered flight on another planet, Ingenuity has allowed the science team to access landscapes that were previously out of reach for any rover. This week, Perseverance drove to within approximately 450 meters of the helicopter in what is likely the closest encounter for the remainder of its mission.
As Ingenuity’s journey concludes, Perseverance is entering a new phase of exploration, focusing on the margin unit, an area on the edge of Jezero Crater with strong signatures of carbonate minerals. The rover has been diligently exploring the terrain and acquiring imagery of notable rock formations, including the pitted rock named Porkchop Geyser and a rubbly outcrop called Muiron Island.
In orbital imagery, massive blocks known as ‘megabreccia’ have been observed on the crater rim, believed to have originated from the impact that created Jezero Crater or represent even older rocks ejected from the massive Isidis Basin to the east. This presents an exciting opportunity for the science team to gain new insights into Mars’ ancient history.
Although it’s bittersweet to leave Ingenuity behind, the future looks promising for Perseverance as it continues its mission. The rover and the science team are gearing up to explore the mysterious crater rim, where they hope to uncover never-before-seen evidence of Mars’ history.