This color view of the parachute and back shell that helped deliver NASA's Curiosity rover to the surface of the Red Planet was taken by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The area where the back shell impacted the surface is darker because lighter-colored material on the surface was kicked up and displaced.
The full image for these observations can be seen at http://uahirise.org/releases/msl-tracks.php .
HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) |
Instrument Host | Curiosity Rover | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
Host Type | Rover | Orbiter |
Instrument | High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color, Impact | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2012-09-06 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16142 | |
Identifier | PIA16142 |