An artist rendering of the Schiaparelli lander on the surface of Mars. Click to enlarge. Credit: ESA

The full-scale qualification model of the parachute for the Schiaparelli lander undergoes the pyrotechnic mortar deployment tests in the world’s largest wind tunnel, operated by the United States Air Force at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex, NFAC, in the Ames Research Center, California. Tests of how the parachute will inflate at supersonic speeds were carried out with a smaller model in a supersonic wind tunnel in the NASA Glenn Research Center. Click to enlarge. Credit: ESA

Artist depiction of the separation between the TGO orbiter and the Schiaparelli lander in October 2016. Click to enlarge. Credit: ESA

Schiaparelli is being installed at the top of the Trace Gas Orbiter, at Thales Alenia Space, in Cannes, France, for final integrated tests in 2015 . Click to enlarge. Credit: ESA

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