--- title: "NASA’s Mars Helicopter Sends Back Stunning Color Photos" description: "NASA's Helicopter has sent back the first color images of Mars. View the Ingenuity color photos here." date: "2021-07-08" modified: "2021-07-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-mars-helicopter-color-photos" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "mars" - "mars helicopter" - "NASA" - "perseverance" - "the digest" --- # NASA’s Mars Helicopter Sends Back Stunning Color Photos ![NASA's groundbreaking Mars Helicopter has sent back some stunning color pictures it took on July 5 while flying over the Red Planet's rocky landscape.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Stunning Images NASA's groundbreaking Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has sent back stunning photos it took on July 5 while flying over the Red Planet's rocky landscape — and this time, they're in color. The helicopter took off for its ninth flight on Monday, breaking the small four pound rotorcraft's "records for flight duration and cruise speed," according to a [July 7 blog update]() written by Ingenuity chief pilot Håvard Grip. It also "nearly quadrupled the distance flown between two airfields," spanning 2,051 feet of challenging terrain. While in the air, Ingenuity took a series of stunning images, showing a multicolored landscape and tracks left behind by NASA's Perseverance rover. "This was a big leap — *big* leap — in terms of what we’ve done before," Grip [told *The Verge*](). https://twitter.com/haygenwarren/status/1413191872613322763 ## Ninth Flight It was the first time Ingenuity didn't fly over largely flat terrain, making the latest flight harrowing for the team controlling the copter from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. While flying, Ingenuity's navigation system relies on scanning the ground below it to identify its location. "Differences in terrain height will cause features to move across the field of view at different rates, and Ingenuity’s navigation algorithm still 'assumes' the ground below is flat," Grip wrote in his post. " It does its best to explain the movement of the features by changes in the helicopter’s movements, which can lead to errors." The color images show "outcrops that show contacts between the major geologic units on Jezero Crater’s floor," according to the lead pilot, and a "a system of fractures the Perseverance team calls 'Raised Ridges,' which the rover’s scientists hope to visit." Scientists believe the Jezero Crater is a dried up bed of an ancient lake, making it a particularly interesting region for looking for signs of life. The images are a critical part of scientific operations, because Perseverance may not have the time to look at some of these larger outcrops. **READ MORE:** [Flight 9 Was a Nail-Biter, but Ingenuity Came Through With Flying Colors]() \[NASA\] **More on the helicopter:** *[NASA Releases Breathtaking Panorama From New Rover]()* ## 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]()