MER Opportunity backshell & 'chute: engineering observation?

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Mike Flugennock - 06 Mar 2004 15:48 GMT

Something I'm wondering, slightly related to the Bunny Saga at
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/opportunity/b19_20040304.html

...and that's whether or not any of the engineering folks on the
Opportunity team had lobbied for a visit to the backshell & parachute
impact site:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040209a/Descent_Stage
-B016R1.jpg

...to get some close shots of the shell & chute. I was just looking at the
MGS orbital views of the Opportunity site, and looking for a current
traverse map to download, and noticing that being well within view, and
less than .5km away -- within the Rover's range, iirc -- might make it an
engineering site of interest.

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"All over, people changing their votes,
along with their overcoats;
if Adolf Hitler flew in today,
they'd send a limousine anyway!" --the clash.
___________________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Mike Flugennock's Mikey'zine, dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

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Doug... - 06 Mar 2004 18:34 GMT

> Something I'm wondering, slightly related to the Bunny Saga at
> http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/opportunity/b19_20040304.html
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> less than .5km away -- within the Rover's range, iirc -- might make it an
> engineering site of interest.

Actually, I bet the more likely target of an "engineering inspection"
would be Opportunity's heatshield. It seems to have survived relatively
intact (since they were able to image it while peeking over the edge of
their little crater), and it dug a respectable little hole in the dirt.
I'd think the hole would be of more interest than the heatshield, in
fact -- it's a larger and deeper excavation than the rover wheels can
manage, and the exact time of its formation is known.

Add to that the fact that the heatshield and its little crater are in
the same general direction from Opportunity's landing crater as the much
larger crater they want to drive to and look at, while the 'chute and
backshell are in the opposite direction, and I bet the heatshield is
more likely to get a visit than the 'chute and backshell.

Doug
dvandorn@NOSPAM.mn.rr.com

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Pat Flannery - 06 Mar 2004 19:15 GMT

>Add to that the fact that the heatshield and its little crater are in
>the same general direction from Opportunity's landing crater as the much
>larger crater they want to drive to and look at, while the 'chute and
>backshell are in the opposite direction, and I bet the heatshield is
>more likely to get a visit than the 'chute and backshell.

Plus the fact that it be interesting to see how well the heat shield
weathered the entry heat, so that we can get some real world data on
what the entry conditions are like, to be used on future landers- are we
over or underbuilding the heatshield?
The crater might be _very_ instructive as to surface consistency and
composition, and as you say, might uncover interesting things (wouldn't
it it be great if it exposed subsurface ice.... either water or CO2?)

Pat

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Space Forum / Space History / March 2004

MER Opportunity backshell & 'chute: engineering observation?