NASA's Ingenuity helicopter spots Perseverance rover's landing hardware debris on Mars

Ingenuity helicopter, which recently shattered several records, has w spotted hardware which helped it get to Mars last year. While hovering over red planet's surface on its 26th flight, helicopter spotted a parachute and cone-shaped component called a backshell, that protected Perseverance rover during its ascent. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL),  wreck was spotted by Ingenuity when it was at an altitude of 26 feet (8 meters) when it last flew on April 19. 

JPL shared multiple photos of wreck that features entry, descent and landing gear. Interestingly, NASA has photographed landing hardware in past including  heat shield of Opportunity rover and Curiosity rover's parachute. However, this is first time that landing wreck has been captured in an im taken by a helicopter. 

Significance of NASA's photographs

According to NASA, ims shared by Ingenuity were requested by engineers who are working on Mars Sample Return program. y believe that ims of components taken from an aerial perspective may provide insight into components' performance during rover's entry, descent, and landing.

"Perseverance h  best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to touchdown", JPL’s Ian Clark, former Perseverance systems engineer, said in a statement. "But Ingenuity’s ims offer a different vant point. If y eir reinforce that our systems worked as we think y worked or provide even one dataset of engineering information we can use for Mars Sample Return planning, it will be amazing."

After examining ims, NASA stated that backshell's protective coating appears to have remained intact during atmospheric entry. Besides, many of  80 high-strength suspension lines, visible in im, which connected  backshell to parachute also seems to be intact. parachute used during Perseverance's descent measured 70.5 feet wide and was biggest one to ever deploy on Mars. Ingenuity was also tagged along with rover and is acting as a guide for rover by examining Martian topography in vance.