Parachute Caught Robot Explorers NASA HiRISE Camera

Parachute Caught Robot Explorers NASA HiRISE Camera - High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) captures the object of the parachute Curiosity launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Curiosity is a robotic rover that NASA is prepared to conduct missions on the red planet.

Launched Newscientist, millions of people could see the moment of landing robotic Mars rover (rover) was on the red planet. One of the relatives of the orbiting robot (HiRISE camera) has brought out the curiosity of the population of the earth about the landing of the robot.

HiRISE camera is located on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been positioned to observe the landing of Curiosity. The landings began from entering the atmosphere of Mars up to the landing-called "seven minutes of terror".

Before touching the surface of Mars, Curiosity backshell is still in the wrapping device during the journey to Mars. Backshell supersonic parachute is attached to a width of 16 meters.

The parachute can slow down the speed of Curiosity as to the Martian surface from 400 meters per second to 80 meters a second in less than two minutes. Then, the robot explorer took off the backshell, and firing retrorockets.

Moment is what marks the release retrorockets maneuver action of Curiosity to be landed smoothly on the surface of Mars. Curiosity will be able to move on the surface using a wheel.

HiRISE is not the first display object, which was launched toward Mars. In 2008, the camera orbit NASA's Phoenix Lander parachutes to catch the red planet.

"I guess you could consider the closest thing to 'Paparazzi' on Mars," said HiRISE team member, Sarah Milkovich. Reportedly, the object captures parachute Curiosity is something that is not easy.

HiRISE team has a chance to get a picture of that moment of landing through HiRISE camera shots. "If HiRISE took images a second before or one second later, we may see an empty landscape of Mars," he concluded.