And because he was able to jettison himself across the lake at 32 miles per hour, he achieved a new world record, even if he got soaked right afterward.
Opportunity was sent off to inspect the jettisoned heat-shield that had protected it as it burned down through the Martian atmosphere, now a glinting monument on the pockmarked plain.
The equipment, weighing 310 kilograms, was jettisoned from the space station in 2020 because it was taking up valuable space and would burn up completely upon reentry, McDowell added.