Yet another rework of my speculative routes for #Perseverance to reach Bright Angel. This one shows two much faster routes (green) to the riverbed, passing through a few regolith ripples, but leading to a mostly flat and rock-free terrain.
The green route seems preferable to me (but IANAG), provided there are no scientifically interesting locations along the the south bank, which the rover has been traversing for a number of sols now (white dashed line).
New location for #Perseverance on Sol 1144, RMC 52.1950.
This may be the last location visible by #Ingenuity's RTE camera, as the rover has now reached the theoretical limit of its field-of-view (cyan line). The #MarsHelicopter has been programmed to capture one RTE image every sol for as long as it is able to wake up every sol perform its routine of gathering environmental and system data, as a stationary testbed.
The slope of the southern Neretva Vallis riverbank appears steepening at this new location. This may be the start of the hardest part of the descent to the ancient riverbed, on the way to the geologically interesting rock formation Bright Angel, the next science target for #Perseverance.
Processed, leveled NAVCAM_RIGHT quick mosaic
looking WNW (285°) from RMC 52.1950
Sol 1144, LMST: 13:03:58
New location for #Perseverance on Sol 1143, RMC 52.1700, presumably still within #Ingenuity's field-of-view. It appears there may be as many as 3 frames of the rover crossing the FOV of the color RTE camera of the #MarsHelicopter, now a stationary testbed collecting images, temperature and other data on a solly basis from its final location at Vallinor Hills.
#Perseverance moved to the center of the area which is most probably visible by #Ingenuity, and it could appear in one or more of the color RTE images the #MarsHelicopter is capturing every sol, if everything is going according to plan.
This animation shows the path along which #Perseverance will probably be visible by the "stationary testbed" #Ingenuity. The steep slope of the ancient Neretva riverbank starts where this path ends.
Animation
Quickly processed, undistorted, leveled NAVCAM_RIGHT mosaic
looking W (270°) from RMC 52.1146
Sol 1140, LMST: 12:33:16
Earlier today on Mars - Another drive by Perseverance rover. This L-NavCam was acquired just before the end of the drive on Sol 1140, it provides a nice view down Neretva Vallis (upper right)
#Perseverance at last turned its SUPERCAM telescope to #Ingenuity. That's from a 500m distance. The smudge between the heli and its footprints on the left is dust or some other SUPERCAM flaw that exists in all images.
The glint from the metallic foot joint is noticeable.
Processed, cropped SUPERCAM_RMI
looking NNE (29°) from RMC 52.0870
Sol 1139, LMST: 12:31:58
#Perseverance's team taking a look back at the #MarsHelicopter, which had been a companion of their rover for the past 3 years on Mars and is now forced to stay behind.
Processed, leveled MCZ_LEFT, FL: 110mm
looking NNE (29°) from RMC 52.0870
Sol 1138, LMST: 13:27:55
#Perseverance seems to be determined to reach Bright Angel as soon as possible, even if it has to do it in short drives every sol, through rocky ground.
If the #MarsHelicopter#Ingenuity does take an RTE picture every Martian morning as stated, then it will most probably capture the rover as it descends slowly the slope of Neretva riverbank. The only question then is when we will see those images.