How did you get the HiRISE photo of the lander descending with its parachute?
Phoenix is very grateful to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) team for that otherworldly picture. It was very, very good math. MRO was moving about 3.4 km/sec (7,344 mph). Phoenix, at the time of parachute deployment, was moving between 700-130 mph. The timing was very precise, and the HiRISE camera swept a wide field of view in preparation to get that shot. To view more HiRISE images and learn more about the MRO mission, visit http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu.
Related Questions
- Would you please explain the dynamics of placing a lander on Mars, and why a small parachute would work on Mars as it does on Earth?
- Could the heat shield, the backshell or the parachute come into contact with the lander inadvertently?
- How did you get the HiRISE photo of the lander descending with its parachute?
