Anita Sengupta, Supersonic Parachutes on Mars Project Manager, will speak Wednesday, March 13th at 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Hub, 111-104.

Due to the large size of Curiosity and precise landing requirements of the mission, the MSL EDL system required a single 70 ft diameter parachute, deployed at up to two times the speed of sound on Mars. For decades it was a mystery why supersonic parachutes experienced violent oscillations above a certain speed. It was critical to the mission that the super-sized parachute would survive and perform as designed, necessitating an answer to this mystery once and for all. Come learn how supersonic parachutes behave on Mars and the story behind the supersonic parachute qualification for MSL.

For information on the JPL Stories series, contact Teresa Bailey at 4-9233.