Ingenuity helicopter to keep flying on Mars till Sept, identify spots to land future missions
India TodayJust about a year ago, engineers, scientists, astronomers had no idea if a controlled flight was even possible on another planet. Nasa has extended the operation of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars till September, where it will support the Perseverance rover, trundling on the surface, in its science operations trying to look for evidence of ancient microbial life in the inhospitable terrain. Scientists believe that Sétah, part of the ancient river delta of Jezero Crater, holds numerous geologic revelations perhaps even the proof necessary to determine that microscopic life once existed on Mars billions of years ago. data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential science targets and help in imaging geologic features too far afield, or perhaps scout landing zones and caching sites for the Mars Sample Return program. PERSEVERANCE ROVER PICKS 8TH SAMPLE ON MARS While Ingenuity is flying overhead, the Perseverance rover is busy scooping materials from the surface that will be returned to Earth by future Mars missions.