--- title: "Mars Helicopter Snaps Photo of Mars Rover, Way Down on the Surface" description: "During its third heroic flight on the surface of Mars on April 25, NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter managed to catch the Perseverance rover in the frame." date: "2021-04-28" modified: "2021-04-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mars-helicopter-photo-mars-rover-surface" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "ingenuity" - "JPL" - "mars" - "mars helicopter" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Mars Helicopter Snaps Photo of Mars Rover, Way Down on the Surface ![During its third heroic flight on the surface of Mars on April 25, NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter managed to catch the Perseverance rover in the frame.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Hello Down There During its third heroic flight on the surface of Mars on April 25, NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter managed to catch its big brother, the agency's Perseverance rover, in the frame of a newly-released photo. The tiny helicopter managed to take the shot from an altitude of 16 feet and a distance of 279 feet away from the rover. It's a magnificent photo — and the first time we've ever seen a Mars rover from this perspective. ![]() In the image, NASA's car-sized rover can be seen in the far top left corner of the frame. ![]() ## Leaving Tracks The image also shows the tracks left by Perseverance's six wheels, as well as the [Octavia E. Butler Landing site]() where the rover first touched down, as well as the Wright Brothers field, the airfield where Ingenuity [first took flight]() on April 19. The four pound rotorcraft managed to [break its own speed record]() during its third flight on April 25. The team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab celebrated the flight as a major success, showing what it was truly capable of. "With this flight, we are demonstrating critical capabilities that will enable the addition of an aerial dimension to future Mars missions," Dave Lavery, the program executive for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at NASA, said in [a statement]() at the time. A [video captured by Perseverance]() also shows the third flight in almost in its entirety, demonstrating just how far the little helicopter managed to get. **READ MORE:** [Mars helicopter Ingenuity spots Perseverance rover from the air (photo)]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on Ingenuity:** *[Amazing Video Shows Mars Helicopter Cruising Above Martian Surface]()* ## 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]()