Those rocks are fascinating to me. They sure look volcanic in my very uninformed opinion.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Every picture tells a story. This one captures me in midair, floating over Mars while hanging from my parachute during the final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CountdownToMars</a>.<br><br>Latest update and images: <a href="https://t.co/fnnEOOMWsV">https://t.co/fnnEOOMWsV</a> <a href="https://t.co/39aGp963a3">pic.twitter.com/39aGp963a3</a></p>&mdash; NASA&#39;s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1362839907824136193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"eeehhhh it was just a weather balloon" /Martian Military

So im guessing they figured out how to keep the dust off the solar panels this time?

Perseverance doesn't use PV for power.

LMAO

https://scontent.fmkc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...c1&oe=60588237

I don't know much about this stuff but I was telling the wife that this thing needs to have drones on it so they can go out and gather info. Then I heard there was some kind of helicopter they were going to try and fly. Helicopter or drone? Being able to "spread out" I think would be a big deal.

How many sols until ingenuity takes off?

It's a drone helicopter. :)
I saw somewhere that the atmosphere is something like 1% of earth's in terms of density, so they had to test lift characteristics in a vacuum chamber. I'm super excited to see the video of it taking off and flying away!

From what I read the drone's biggest impact is that it will be able to map out the area around the rover so it knows best course to areas around it they want to check out. A top down view will be able to provide a lot more data to use for course planning.

https://www.space.com/faa-closes-inv...ship-sn9-crash

"The FAA closed the investigation of the Feb. 2 SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype mishap today, clearing the way for the SN10 test flight pending FAA approval of license updates," an FAA spokesperson said Friday (Feb. 19) in an emailed statement.

"The FAA provided oversight of the SN9 mishap investigation conducted by SpaceX. The SN9 vehicle failed within the bounds of the FAA safety analysis," the statement continued. "Its unsuccessful landing and explosion did not endanger the public or property. All debris was contained within the designated hazard area. The FAA approved the final mishap report, including the probable causes and corrective actions."

Videos Live:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/21X5lGlDOfg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your front-row seat to my Mars landing is here. Watch how we did it.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CountdownToMars</a> <a href="https://t.co/Avv13dSVmQ">pic.twitter.com/Avv13dSVmQ</a></p>&mdash; NASA&#39;s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1363929492138254340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Better quality for those who even care:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4czjS9h4Fpg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>