[FPSPACE] MRO's HIRISE images Phoenix, its backshell and parachute, and heat shield

[Chris Jones]

palladium at aol.com wrote:
> Wow. Just... wow.

What he said!

> 
> Interesting how there's a big discolored area right around the lander. 
> Obviously caused by the landing rockets, but I wonder if the darkening 
> is caused by "scorching," or by lighter dust being blown away from a 
> darker layer underneath?

One clue might be that there are also darker areas near the heat shield
(which appears to have bounced) and the backshell (which appears to have
been dragged by the parachute), so when you disturb the soil without
scorching (which should be the case with the backshell if not for the
heat shield) it reveals dark underneath.

> 
> Also, one of Phoenix's images caught what looks like the aeroshell or 
> heat shield off in the distance:
> 
> http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/images/raw/SSI/SS001EDN896309909_10D28R1M1.html

Interesting.  From the overhead image it looks like the heat shield and
parachute are about twice as far away from the lander as the backshell.