Dan Maas, a Cornell undergraduate, made an impressive computer animation to help promote the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission. The virtual camera conveys the speed of a launch atop a Delta II, catching it as it shoots past several POVs. The landing sequence is thrilling as well. The payload, even after deaccelerating from the initial entry at Mach 25, drops rapidly towards the surface with the wind singing through the lines of the parachute, with the virtual camera wobbling and shifting focus as it chases the whole assembly. Will a half billion dollars of technology slam into the regolith? It’s a NASA movie done as an action film. [ QuickTime or Real Player, contains scenes of intense pryotechnics that may not be suitable for younger viewers ]
Update: Link now points to Maas Digital (the producer’s site) which features a 320mb, DVD quality, MPEG 2 version of the video. Also corrected the speed at which MER hit the Martian atmosphere.
