With technological developments, space exploration has reached even more advanced levels, helping us to understand the secrets of the universe. The Perseverance mission, which started its way to Mars in 2020 and reached the planet in February of 2021, undoubtedly shows how advanced these researches are. This mission, part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, includes two vehicles, the Perseverance Explorer and the Ingenuity helicopter.
The Ingenuity drone, also known as the Mars helicopter, made its first flight on the planet last year, breaking new ground in history. This vehicle, which was sent to study the planet in detail by flying, has been successfully flying ever since, sharing images that allow us to make groundbreaking discoveries about Mars. Now, with its last flight, Ingenuity has transmitted many interesting and new images to Earth.
The wreckage of the parachute used during the descent to Mars was displayed
Filling a year in its flights, Ingenuity made its 26th flight on 19 April. In this flight, the vehicle examined the area where the parachute, which helped the Perseverance vehicle land on the planet, and sent the photo it took from there to the scientists. When the images were examined, it was also remarkable that the parachute and the part designed to protect the vehicle looked like a spacecraft that fell on Mars.
This parachute, which we see the remains of, was designed to protect the Perseverance rover during its descent to the planet. The part, which looks like a shell, protected the vehicle during atmospheric entry, allowing Perseverance, which is of great importance for Mars exploration, to land on the planet undamaged and safely.
In the statements made, it was stated that the vehicle entered the atmosphere at a speed of 20,000 kilometers per hour and was exposed to gravity and high temperatures. This showed how important the parachute and protective section were. Let’s also add that Perseverance, the vehicle that managed to land on Mars in the safest way, landed on the surface of the planet at a speed of 126 kilometers per hour.
When we look at the wreckage of the protective section, we see that some parts of it, such as the area that connects to the parachute, managed to remain intact, while some parts were damaged by the impact of the collision and entering the atmosphere. In addition, the orange and white parachute that blends into the ground can be observed in the images (the part indicated by the arrow).
Teddy Tzanetos of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which built the vehicle, said, “Ingenuity aims to make pioneering flights like this one. “Every time Ingenuity takes off, it explores new areas and gives us different perspectives like no other mission has accomplished before.”
Experts emphasize that the images of this parachute, which was previously viewed by Perseverance from land, are very useful. According to the explanations, examining these remains in detail may be useful in helping the spacecraft that will land on the planet in the future and allowing the necessary improvements to be made.
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