NOVA

Parachute Problems

Clip: Season 39 Episode 15 | 2m 54s  | Video has closed captioning.

While testing Curiosity’s parachute in the world’s largest wind tunnel, JPL scientists and engineers were confounded by a failed trial run. The parachute had never failed to open in the past, so why this strange anomaly? By replicating the error and analyzing it in high-resolution footage, they were able to pinpoint the problem.

Aired: 01/24/13

Rating: NR

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Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning

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