A parachute was used during part of the landing sequence to deposit the Spirit r

Question

A parachute was used during part of the landing sequence to deposit the Spirit rover on the Martian surface. The parachute had a fully-open, projected diameter of 14.1 m and was designed to slow the landing package (lander and rover) to a terminal speed of 65 m/s (retro-rockets were used to bring the landing package to a near zero vertical velocity). If the mass of the landing package was 544 kg, what was the drag coefficient for the parachute? Assume the gravitational acceleration on Mars is 3.72 m/s2 and that the density of the Martian atmosphere near the surface is 0.016 kg/m3.

Explanation / Answer

the drag coefficient is Cd = m*g/(A*1/2*p*v^2) = 0.383439

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