Subj : 7 minutes of terror
To : Wilfred van Velzen
From : August Abolins
Date : Tue Feb 23 2021 11:05 pm
Hello Wilfred!
** On Tuesday 23.02.21 - 09:47, you wrote to me:
AA>> I'm surprised that the module (before chute deployment)
AA>> doesn't start tumbling and turning during the fastest
AA>> approach.
WvV> The heatshield shape is designed in such a way that it
WvV> doesn't. They have experience with that since before the
WvV> apollo program! ;)
OK.. but considering the turmoil those capsules encounter upon
reentry to Earth's atmosphere (which is thicker than Mar's) I am
still surprised that something doesn't cause them to tip the
wrong way and tumbling ensues.
Entering Mar's atmosphere was less problematic. I get that the
design is like a dart's and the air passing around it (drag)
contributes to stablize it. It still seems amazing to me
especially when supersonic speed is involved and a whole lot of
shaking and internal heat could affect the electronics.
AA>> The images were fantastic. The very last few seconds
AA>> looked precarious when all the soil started to block the
AA>> cameras though.
WvV> That's how you know it's real! ;)
Well.. a lot of things can still be faked.
I wish we could have seen about 2 or 3 minutes more right after
the landing as the dust cloud settles. Then it would seem more
real to me.
But the choreography of events one after another and hoping that
there would be no malfunctions.. that's stressful.
I was reading a bit on past missions to Mars, and on one of them
a simple misundersting in the use of meteric vs british
measuring system caused the mission to fail.
