---
title: "Mars Helicopter Flies Over NASA Wreckage"
description: "Piece of Home NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity has officially spotted the remains of the parachute and back shell that allowed it and the much bigger Perseverance rover to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet well over a year ago. Earlier this month, images taken by the rover’s mast cam showed glimpses of […]"
date: "2022-04-27"
modified: "2022-04-27"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mars-helicopter-flies-over-nasa-wreckage"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "ingenuity"
  - "mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# Mars Helicopter Flies Over NASA Wreckage

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mars-helicopter-flies-over-nasa-wreckage.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Piece of Home

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has officially spotted the remains of the parachute and back shell that allowed it and the much bigger Perseverance rover to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet over a year ago.

Earlier this month, images taken by the rover's mast cam [showed glimpses of the remains](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-rover-parachute-martian-desert>) of the parachute from an estimated half a mile away.

Now, we get a much [closer and detailed view](<https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/HSF_0414_0703689961_099ECM_N0260001HELI00006_000085J>) of the backshell that protected it during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, as well as the discarded parachute farther in the distance — all thanks to the aerial prowess of Perseverance's much smaller and lighter helicopter companion.

"The Mars helicopter flew over Perseverance’s parachute and back shell," *Ars Technica* senior space writer Eric Berger [tweeted](<https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1519400791601303557>), "and I have to say being able to fly on another world is amazing."

https://twitter.com/kevinmgill/status/1519399040684752897

## Victory Lap

As seen on NASA's handy [live map](<https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/where-is-the-rover/>), Perseverance and Ingenuity have spent several weeks backtracking on their journey south of the Jezero Crater, an area believed to be an ancient lake bed.

And indeed, during Ingenuity's latest and 26th flight, the helicopter met "an additional challenge": the "presence of hardware from Perseverance's entry, descent, and landing (EDL), including the sky crane, parachutes and backshell," according to an [April 5 update](<https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/373/balancing-risks-in-the-seitah-region-flight-24/>).

Ingenuity has exceeded all expectations, far surpassing the original five flights it was intended to complete. So it's only appropriate for it to return to the site of its landing to complete its victory lap.

**More on the parachute:** *[NASA Rover Finds Its Own Parachute in Martian Desert](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-rover-parachute-martian-desert>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)