Flash, bang, wallop, what a picture

THE dark splodge near the top of the enlarged part of this picture of the Martian surface, taken on October 20th by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, an American satellite circling the planet, is thought to be the crash site of Schiaparelli, a European and Russian probe that arrived there on October 19th, but with which contact was lost during its descent to the planet’s surface. The white speck near the bottom is likewise believed to be the probe’s jettisoned parachute.

What went wrong is not clear. Communication with the craft ended 50 seconds before its scheduled touch down. Data transmitted in advance of this loss of contact suggest Schiaparelli jettisoned both its parachute and its heat shield early, and fired its retro-rockets for only three to five seconds, rather than the 30 seconds that had been planned. It probably hit the ground at more than 300kph (200mph).

Since Schiaparelli’s main job was to test the landing gear for a future rover its failure is not, as it were, a complete write-off. It…Continue reading
Source: Economist