Space

Curiosity and its parachute spotted on descent to Mars

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August 6, 2012

Just after I told a friend that there was no way we could actually see the Curiosity rover descending to Mars, this image came along. Wow. I’m glad to be proven wrong! Here’s the new Mars rover – which touched down on Mars last night (5:31 UTC on August 6) – descending by parachute to the Red Planet’s surface.

Curiosity_parachute_2 — Curiosity rover descending to Mars by parachute on August 6 (August 5 according to clocks at JPL, which oversees the mission). This image comes from another spacecraft orbiting Mars, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image Credit: NASA/JPL

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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – which carries the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera – captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box. The rover is descending toward the etched plains just north of the sand dunes that fringe “Mt. Sharp.” From the perspective of the orbiter, the parachute and Curiosity are flying at an angle relative to the surface, so the landing site does not appear directly below the rover.

Bottom line: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of the Curiosity rover as it descended by parachute to the surface of Mars.

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.