WASHINGTON D.C. — NASA confirmed today that its groundbreaking 2028 Mars mission, featuring the deployment of a fleet of 'Skyfall' reconnaissance helicopters, will in fact be powered by a collection of slightly used AA batteries, meticulously sourced from various remote controls across the agency.

The announcement comes after an internal audit revealed that the initial press release, touting a 'nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft,' contained a significant typographical error. "We deeply regret the confusion," stated Dr. Evelyn Reed, head of NASA's newly formed 'Orbital Energy Scavenging' division. "What we meant to say was 'nucleated with the power of human ingenuity and whatever's in the junk drawer.' It's an easy mistake to make, especially after a long week of trying to find the TV remote."

The mission, now officially dubbed 'Project Perpetual Motion (Sort Of),' aims to send the Space Reactor-1 Freedom probe to the Red Planet, where its miniature helicopters will conduct aerial surveys. Each helicopter is expected to operate for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, or until its battery indicator blinks red, whichever comes first. Replacements will be parachuted down from the probe, assuming they don't drift off course.

"We've got a team of interns diligently collecting and testing every AA battery they can find," Dr. Reed added, gesturing to a mountain of discarded Duracells and Energizers. "Some of them still have a surprising amount of juice. We're talking 30-40% capacity here. That's more than enough to get a tiny helicopter to hover for a bit, right?"

Critics have questioned the long-term viability of the power source, but NASA remains optimistic. "We're confident this approach will prove just as effective, and significantly less prone to 'unforeseen atmospheric events,'" a spokesperson clarified, while discreetly checking the charge on their own smartphone.