University of Arizona helps photograph and find landing spot for Mars Curiosity rover

TUCSON, AZ - While most of the excitement from Sunday night’s Mars Curiosity rover landing came from the landing itself, the University of Arizona was able to take some credit in helping document the historic spacecraft in action and finding the perfect place to land.

According to the University of Arizona, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE camera was able to capture a photo of the spacecraft with the rover inside and parachute deployed.

Afred McEwen, a professor at the college’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, said they had planned the position of the camera much in advance in order to take the photo of Curiosity.

Other school officials say that University of Arizona’s laboratory helped pinpoint perfect landing sites and interesting landscapes around Mars in order for Curiosity to see the best of the planet.

Without the help of the HiRISE camera and lessons learned from past rover missions, Curiosity may not have made the landing and could even face dangers during the exploration.

To learn more about HiRISE, the photographs and the Mars mission, visit the University of Arizona website.