Back to Show
NOVA
Parachute Problems
While testing Curiosity’s parachute in the world’s largest wind tunnel, JPL scientists and engineers were confounded by a failed trial run. The parachute had never failed to open in the past, so why this strange anomaly? By replicating the error and analyzing it in high-resolution footage, they were able to pinpoint the problem.
Support Provided By

53:38
Explore big discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

53:40
Find out who’s using your data and what you can do about it.

53:34
Explore the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.

53:30
Explore the promise and perils of new A.I. technologies.

53:10
Follow the quest to recover DNA millions of years old for the very first time.

53:29
Explore the engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark, the tallest structure of its time.

53:17
New evidence reveals the real story of Easter Island and the builders of its stone heads.

53:31
Giant fossils uncovered in the Sahara Desert reveal new secrets of how whales evolved.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:30
A family turns to science in their struggle to rediscover a history obscured by slavery.

53:54
Follow the quest to create a lifesaving malaria vaccine.

53:20
The inside story of China’s meteoric rise to the forefront of global innovation.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:15
How did Earth give rise to humans? See what made our species' existence possible.