NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is preparing for its 11th flight on Mars, but the flying robot recently took pictures of an area known as ‘Raised Ridges’ that is catching the attention of some in the scientific community.
The helicopter took the images of the ridges, which may have been caused by wind and dust or possibly water that once flowed in the now-dry Jezero Crater, on its July 24 flight, according to the US space agency.
‘But along with its immersive beauty, the image provides great detail,’ Kevin Hand, a scientist at NASA’s JPL said in a statement.
‘If you look closely, you can see some curious lines across the surfaces of several rocks. Are these just made by eons of wind and dust blowing over the rocks, or might those features tell the story of water? We just don’t know yet.’
Thanks to Ingenuity, NASA is effectively able to be in ‘two in places at once’ with its Perseverance mission, both at the Crater Floor Fractured Rough and Ingenuity flying close by, Hand added.
‘Ingenuity is providing a detailed preview of a potentially intriguing geologic features hundreds of meters away from us.’