[Keith]

the lander detached from the parachute system dropping at a speed of around 55 mph...it is estimated to have bounded along the surface after contact for up to a kilometer...not sure we will see the chute system...

[bonesmccoy]

I think the issue is the prevailing winds and the time it took for the lander to stop rolling in it's airbag cocoon.

It's obvious that the bag system was rolling because there was about 5 minutes between the initial release and then the time when the rover had a clear tone.

So, basically, the system is rolling along for 5 minutes before settling down in this place. If you're guessing that the thing is slowly decelerating from a 20 mph horizontal velocity (with bouncing occuring), the max distance would be 20 miles per hour x 0.1 hours (or six minutes) = 2 miles.

I wonder what the prevailing wind condition was at landing? You could estimate the drift of the parachute system and look around for the chute as you drive. They should attempt to find the chute because you'd hate to have the rover accidently drive over the chute system and get tangled in the cords!