CURIOSITY SPOTTED ON PARACHUTE BY ORBITER
By NASA8-5-12
NASAs Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box. The rover is descending toward the etched plains just north of the sand dunes that fringe "Mt. Sharp." From the perspective of the orbiter, the parachute and Curiosity are flying at an angle relative to the surface, so the landing site does not appear directly below the rover.
The parachute appears fully inflated and performing perfectly. Details in the parachute, such as the band gap at the edges and the central hole, are clearly seen. The cords connecting the parachute to the back shell cannot be seen, although they were seen in the image of NASAs Phoenix lander descending, perhaps due to the difference in lighting angles. The bright spot on the back shell containing Curiosity might be a specular reflection off of a shiny area. Curiosity was released from the back shell sometime after this image was acquired....
Continue Reading...
See Also:
Mars Rover Curiosity Makes Succesful Landing; Sends Back First Pictures
Planets To Form Martian Triangle for Curiosity Rover Landing (Video)
VIDEO Will The Mars Curiosity Rover Finally Provide Proof of Extraterrestrial Life?
SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE
Read more >>
Credit: ovni-news.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment