The Schiaparelli Lander met it’s fate on October 19th, which ESA have put down to it’s descent-slowing thrusters failing to fire for long enough.
The remains of the lander were quickly spotted by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), initially with it’s low res camera, and then last week with it’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera.
The latest color photos were taken on Tuesday 1st November, which shows the blackened ground and several bright spots, which initially were considered to be ‘noise’, however now more likely to be fragments of the machinery.
The new views also show a large structure which is believed to be Schiaparelli’s parachute, which has changed configuration since last weeks images, which ESA officials believe is from the Martian wind.
“Further [MRO] imaging is planned in about two weeks, and it will be interesting to see if any further changes are noticed,” ESA officials wrote in a statement today. “The images may provide more pieces of the puzzle as to what happened to Schiaparelli as it approached the Martian surface.”
