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The landing created an extensive debris field [1]. For example, the descent stage energetically disassembled on impact with 100+ kg of unused propellant still on board, as planned [2]. Bits of plastic and metal are strewn across a 30km-long strip. Curiosity has imaged several of these pieces already [3]. On the other hand, some 'bright material' that was thought to be spacecraft fragments turned out to be soil material. These fragments are important: they're a science hazard. A big goal for the mission is to find Martian organic matter, so the project is keen to avoid accidentally ingesting Earth plastic into the exquisitely precise onboard laboratory, SAM [4].

[1] http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA15696.jpg (debris from the last few minutes of flight),

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2013/pdf/2800.pdf (debris from interplanetary cruise and atmospheric entry).

[2] http://www.spaceflight101.com/msl-descent-stage-impact-analy... (crash movie).

[3] http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16230.ht...

[4] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11214-012-9879-z (free full text)




[3] is a 404 page.

Love the phrase "energetically disassembled".





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