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MEDLI2 Visible on Mars 2020 Heat Shield

Mars 2020 spacecraft’s heat shield falling away

April 01, 2021

The Mars 2020 spacecraft’s heat shield falls away as the aeroshell descends to Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. The orange cabling seen on the shield is part of a suite of sensors and electronics called MEDLI2, which collects data during the descent that will help engineers land future spacecraft on Mars.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

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