Watch Curiosity's Parachute Flap in the Martian Breeze

By Nancy Atkinson - April 3, 2013 at 10:18 PM UTC | Planetary Science
parachut-thumb.gif

How cool is this? An animation of seven images from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show a "flapping" of the parachute that allowed the Curiosity rover to descend safely through Mars atmosphere images. The chute, imaged as it lay on the ground following the rover's safe landing, was blown about by the Martian breeze! The images were acquired by HiRISE between August 12, 2012 and January 13, 2013. The different images show distinct changes in the parachute, which is attached to the backshell that encompassed the rover during launch, flight and descent.

The HiRISE team explains the animation:

In the first four images there are only subtle changes, perhaps explained by differences in viewing and illumination geometry.

Sometime between September 8, 2012 and November 30, 2012, there was a major change in which the parachute extension to the southeast (lower right) was moved inward, so the parachute covers a smaller area. In the same time interval some of the dark ejecta around the backshell brightened, perhaps from deposition of airborne dust.

Another change happened between December 16, 2012 and January 13, 2013, when the parachute shifted a bit to the southeast. This type of motion may kick off dust and keep parachutes on the surface bright, to help explain why the parachute from Viking 1 (landed in 1976) remains detectable.

Here's another version from

UnmannedSpaceflight.com'

s Doug Ellison:

[caption id="attachment_100304" align="aligncenter" width="424"]

The Mars Science Laboratory's parachute flaps in the wind on Mars. Images by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, animation by Doug Ellison. [/caption]

And here's a look at how big the chute really is (note the people for scale):

[caption id="attachment_101225" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

MSL parachutte tested in a wind tunnel. Credit: JPL.[/caption]

Source:

HiRISE

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com