The photograph snapped by ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter showed not just the Perseverance rover but also the leftover elements of the landing. The parachute, the heat shield and the back shell, and even its descent stage are all visible in this peculiar portrait which is several kilometers across. The image was taken five days after landing.So, can you spot Perseverance in the image?
The mission hopes to study the tenuous atmosphere of Mars and better understand its rarer components: the trace gases in the Martian air.The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has a high-resolution camera called HiRISE that snapped the same panorama just after landing.
Thanks to HiRISE, we can see some fascinating details including the V-shape created by the Sky crane’s impact as it hit the ground.
As the rover begins roaming around the planet the rest of the landing elements will slowly become covered in dust and eventually fade away altogether, and HiRISE will continue to monitor these changes. Mars might not have strong winds or rain, but the surface still changes over time.
