It appears an American satellite has found the likely spot where Europe’s Schiaparelli probe hit the surface of Mars on Wednesday, BBC News reported Friday. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has identified a large dark patch in the robot's targeted landing zone consistent with a high-velocity impact. Schiaparelli is widely thought to have crashed and been destroyed. Data transmitted from the probe before it lost contact indicated its descent systems did not work properly, the report said. Its parachute was jettisoned too early and its retrorockets, designed to slow the robot to a hover just above the surface, fired only for a few seconds. They should have operated for half a minute, the...
