Space

Boom! Orbiter spies crash site on Mars

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October 22, 2016

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter view of Schiaparelli landing site. Image via NASA. — Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter view of Schiaparelli landing site. White speck in the lower part of box appears to be the lander’s parachute. The dark spot appears to be the crash site. Image via NASA.

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified new markings on the surface of the Red Planet that are believed to be related to Europe’s Schiaparelli test lander – part of the ExoMars mission – which arrived at Mars on October 19, 2016.

The new image shows a bright spot that may be Schiaparelli’s parachute, and a larger dark spot interpreted as resulting from the impact of the lander itself following a much longer free fall than planned, after thrusters switched off prematurely.

More details about this image here.

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October 22, 2016

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Space

Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. 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.