Mapping mars by satellite has largely been accomplished. See the first link to satellite mapping mission.

[esa.int]

The helicopter is part of the Perseverance Rover mission. See second link to the Perseverance mission.

[nasa.gov]

@kensmile4u I know. My point is that this drone is an extravagant waste of money.

@rainmanjr This drone is the first step in learning how to fly on mars. The planet has a completely different set of aeronautical challenges compared to earth and we need to overcome them in order to prepare for human exploration.

@kensmile4u You miss my point which is fuck Mars. We need to spend a lot of money and engineering prowess here on Earth. I'd reduce NASA to satellite maintenance for Earth and deep space telescopic exploration but not much more than that until we at least survive climate change.

@rainmanjr A better plan would be fixing the planet we live on while preparing to live on other planets. That way we have a backup location.

@kensmile4u Not enough time for that, anymore. Put all our money on Earth.

@rainmanjr Prepare to be eternally frustrated because your opinion is in the extreme minority. There are many countries and private companies dedicating resources to explore mars.

@kensmile4u Humanity has already emitted enough CO2 to be halfway to the doubling point of 560 parts per million, and many emissions scenarios have the planet reaching that threshold by 2060. The report underscores the risks of that course: It rules out the milder levels of warming sometimes invoked by those who would avoid emissions cuts. “For folks hoping for something better, those hopes are less grounded in reality,” says David Victor, a climate policy researcher at the University of California, San Diego, who was not part of the study.
[sciencemag.org]

@rainmanjr I know it's serious. But the severity doesn't change the logical merit in developing a relocation plan.