Has work begun on a dedicated helicopter mission to Mars? – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

In my routine searches through the image archive for the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, I recently came upon several images labeled “Candidate Mars Science Helicopter Traverse” that I at first thought referred to Ingenuity’s extended mission in Jezero Crater.

A closer look however revealed these images have nothing to do with Ingenuity or Jezero Crater. Taken in November ’21, January ’22, and March ’22, they instead cover parts of the south rim of Valles Marineris, the solar system’s largest canyon, and appear to be research for a future dedicated Mars helicopter mission….