Try to spot NASA’s Mars rover in this Ingenuity helicopter snapshot

This story is part of Welcome to mars, our series exploring the red planet.

Think you have sharp eyes? You will need all your visual acuity to spot NASA’s Perseverance rover hidden in a photo of the Martian landscape taken by the Ingenuity helicopter.

The rotorcraft was acting as a scout of the Martian landscape on August 4 when it managed to capture the rover in the distance through an expanse of sand and rock dunes. The photo is from Ingenuity’s 11th flight. You’ll have to watch carefully to make out the rover among the rocky outcrops.

“Ingenuity’s aerial imagery is awesome, but even better when you play ‘Where’s the Perseverance? “With them,” NASA JPL senior systems engineer Robert Hogg said in a statement on Wednesday. If you zoom in, you can make out the rover’s wheels and mast.

Still looking? NASA gave instructions to find the rover, which the helicopter spotted about 1,600 feet (500 meters) away and 39 feet (12 meters) in the air. Start with the Ingenuity shadow at the bottom of the image. Draw a line up and find the bright white point just to the right of the center.

Here’s what it looks like when you zoom in and crop the image:

Ingenuity has shifted from demonstrating the first powered and controlled flight on another planet to demonstrating how an aerial machine can be used as a reconnaissance companion for a land rover. Part of his job is to take photos of interesting geology to help the rover team make decisions about where to explore Jezero Crater, an ancient lake bed.

Now would be a great time to revisit your sense of awe for planetary exploration. It’s amazing how we can look at a helicopter photo of Mars and spot a rolling lab looking for signs of past microbial life. Savage.

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