Science desk
< February 20	<< Jan \| February \| Mar >>	February 22 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Science Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

February 21[edit]

Where exactly parachute will land during Mars 2020?[edit]

First orbital image (also via *MRO'*s HiRISE camera) of the *Mars 2020* debris field.-- ToE 19:17, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@OuroborosCobra: I find this JPL page discussing about parachute, but they didnt explain where exactly parachute will end on Mars during Mars 2020 ? Will it burn in atmosphere? Rizosome (talk) 11:18, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It certainly won't have burned, since it didn't do so while being dragged by the Entry, Descent, and Landing System, and once released would have have slowed to a low terminal velocity. Where it landed (presumably still attached to the back shell portion of the aeroshell) will depend largely on the winds it encountered while independently drifting down.

Related Mars 2020 questions are where the heat shield and sky crane landed: doubtless one or another of the eight active space probes currently orbiting Mars will photograph all these various components in the coming days.{The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.125.75.168 (talk) 12:45, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, 12 days after Curiosity landed, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the area using its HiRISE camera, producing the image above, showing the rover, the heat shield, the crashed descent stage, and the backshell with parachute. The parachute and backshell were about 615 meters away from the rover. See the description field of that image's page for more details. -- ToE 19:17, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the image. @ToE: Rizosome (talk) 06:46, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Rizosome:, I don't know why you've tagged me in this. This is not an answer to the question I asked of you earlier. --OuroborosCobra (talk) 18:54, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Here's an orbiter image of the Mars 2020 landing stuff, similar to the one at right. Deor (talk) 22:11, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a color HiRISE image of the parachute! -- ToE 03:16, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That parachute is about 1.1 km away from the rover. Here is an image taken from the rover, with a few light pixels apparently showing the backshell and parachute. (Look at the zoom in this response.) -- ToE 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

No good. Those bright pixels are WSW while the backshell and parachute are to the NW. Presumably just light reflecting of a flat rock. -- ToE 14:44, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yep. High-resolution Mastcam-Z images reveal that it's a rock with a flat area which just happened to be reflecting the sun in the right direction. See: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=38208.0;attach=2015321;image -- ToE 16:50, 28 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]