MSL EDL Hardware, Its state & fate |
MSL EDL Hardware, Its state & fate |
Aug 7 2012, 06:17 PM
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#1
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 46 Joined: 14-January 06 Member No.: 645 |
Looking at the HiRISE imagery of the descent stage, does the distribution of the debris field represent the disintegration of the stage from impact only, or is it possible that some or all of the 140+/- kilos of Hydrozine exploded and expanded the debris field? [I understand the darker albedo material is from below the surface]
Does the thin martian atmosphere contain enough oxygen to support combustion/explosion? [guessing No, but my chem is insufficient] Were the hydrazine cells sufficiently designed to survive impact intact? I couldn't find anything on the net or in the specs, any ideas? |
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Aug 7 2012, 06:34 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
The image of the descent stage impact site(s) is really, really interesting. First off, while everything sprays down in the direction of travel, there are very specific plumes angling off about 50 to 60 degrees on either side of the main motion vector. Looks a lot like the angle at which the opposite-side engine pods are mounted from one another.
Could the descent stage have hit the ground with engines running and flipped over, spraying a blast of exhaust ahead of it and along the angles consistent with their attachment to the frame of the stage? And then after hitting ground following the first flip, disintegrated and resulted in the long tongue of disturbance from the initial impact point to the final impact point? Just random thoughts... -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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