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(CNN)Just days after NASA's Perseverance rover gently dropped the Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars, the robot companions took a selfie together on Tuesday and beamed it back to Earth.
The rover used its robotic arm, which has a camera mounted on the end, to capture the image. The helicopter can be seen 13 feet (4 meters) away on the left side of the rover.
The camera, known as WATSON, or Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering, functions fittingly as part of the SHERLOC instrument, or Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals.
The selfie includes 62 individual images that have been stitched together by the mission's team on Earth. There is also an image where the rover can be seen looking back at Ingenuity.
Ingenuity had been stored in Perseverance's belly since before launch. When it separated from the rover on April 3, the helicopter passed a critical milestone: surviving the frigid Martian night without the rover's power supply to keep it warm.
The rover also used the zoomable cameras on its mast to capture a detailed look at Ingenuity sitting on the surface of Mars on April 5.
April is considered the month of Ingenuity. The first test flight of the helicopter, which will be the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, is scheduled for April 11. If all goes according to plan, NASA will share results from the flight on April 12.
www.cnn.com
The rover used its robotic arm, which has a camera mounted on the end, to capture the image. The helicopter can be seen 13 feet (4 meters) away on the left side of the rover.
The camera, known as WATSON, or Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering, functions fittingly as part of the SHERLOC instrument, or Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals.
The selfie includes 62 individual images that have been stitched together by the mission's team on Earth. There is also an image where the rover can be seen looking back at Ingenuity.
Ingenuity had been stored in Perseverance's belly since before launch. When it separated from the rover on April 3, the helicopter passed a critical milestone: surviving the frigid Martian night without the rover's power supply to keep it warm.
The rover also used the zoomable cameras on its mast to capture a detailed look at Ingenuity sitting on the surface of Mars on April 5.
April is considered the month of Ingenuity. The first test flight of the helicopter, which will be the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, is scheduled for April 11. If all goes according to plan, NASA will share results from the flight on April 12.
Mars Perseverance rover snaps selfie photo with Ingenuity helicopter | CNN
NASA's Perseverance rover used a camera on the end of its robotic arm to take a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter now that it has detached from the rover and is independently sitting in its air field ahead of the first flight on Mars.
www.cnn.com
