Updates Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)

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NASA / NASA JPL:
NASA Ready for November Launch of Car-Size Mars Rover

November 10, 2011

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, which will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars, is in final preparations for a launch from Florida's Space Coast at 10:25 a.m. EST (7:25 a.m. PST) on Nov. 25.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission will carry Curiosity, a rover with more scientific capability than any ever sent to another planet. The rover is now sitting atop an Atlas V rocket awaiting liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

"Preparations are on track for launching at our first opportunity," said Pete Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "If weather or other factors prevent launching then, we have more opportunities through Dec. 18."

Scheduled to land on the Red Planet in August 2012, the one-ton rover will examine Gale Crater during a nearly two-year prime mission. Curiosity will land near the base of a layered mountain 3 miles (5 kilometers) high inside the crater. The rover will investigate whether environmental conditions ever have been favorable for development of microbial life and preserved evidence of those conditions.

"Gale gives us a superb opportunity to test multiple potentially habitable environments and the context to understand a very long record of early environmental evolution of the planet," said John Grotzinger, project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "The portion of the crater where Curiosity will land has an alluvial fan likely formed by water-carried sediments. Layers at the base of the mountain contain clays and sulfates, both known to form in water."

Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as earlier Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The rover will carry a set of 10 science instruments weighing 15 times as much as its predecessors' science payloads.

A mast extending to 7 feet (2.1 meters) above ground provides height for cameras and a laser-firing instrument to study targets from a distance. Instruments on a 7-foot-long (2.1-meter-long) arm will study targets up close. Analytical instruments inside the rover will determine the composition of rock and soil samples acquired with the arm's powdering drill and scoop. Other instruments will characterize the environment, including the weather and natural radiation that will affect future human missions.

"Mars Science Laboratory builds upon the improved understanding about Mars gained from current and recent missions," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This mission advances technologies and science that will move us toward missions to return samples from, and eventually send humans to, Mars."

The mission is challenging and risky. Because Curiosity is too heavy to use an air-bag cushioned touchdown, the mission will use a new landing method, with a rocket-powered descent stage lowering the rover on a tether like a kind of sky-crane.

The mission will pioneer precision landing methods during the spacecraft's crucial dive through Mars' atmosphere next August to place the rover onto a smaller landing target than any previously for a Mars mission. The target inside Gale Crater is 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) by 15.5 miles (25 kilometers). Rough terrain just outside that area would have disqualified the landing site without the improved precision.

No mission to Mars since the Viking landers in the 1970s has sought a direct answer to the question of whether life has existed on Mars. Curiosity is not designed to answer that question by itself, but its investigations for evidence about prerequisites for life will steer potential future missions toward answers.

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NASA Press Release: MEDIA ADVISORY : 11-379 - NASA Ready For November Launch Of Car-Sized Mars Rover



NASA / NASA Media Advisory:

Nov. 10, 2011​

MEDIA ADVISORY : M11-232
NASA Sets MSL/ATLAS V Launch Coverage Events

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft with the Curiosity rover is set to launch to the planet Mars aboard an Atlas V rocket on Nov. 25, 2011 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 10:25 a.m. to 12:08 p.m. EST. The launch period for MSL extends through Dec. 18.

The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2012. Curiosity has 10 science instruments to search for evidence about whether Mars had environments favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release their gasses so that a spectrometer can analyze them and send the data back to Earth.

Briefings about the mission are scheduled throughout the week leading to launch and will be held at the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site.

Science Briefings and Prelaunch News Conference (all times are EST)

Monday, Nov. 21, 1 p.m.: "What Do We Know About Mars?"
Participants will be:

• Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program
  NASA Headquarters, Washington
• John Grotzinger, project scientist, Mars Science Laboratory
  California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
• Bethany Ehlmann, scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  Assistant professor, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.: "Looking for Signs of Life in the Universe"
Participants will be:

• Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program
  NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Jamie Foster, professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Science
  University of Florida, Gainesville
• Pan Conrad, deputy principle investigator, Sample Analysis at Mars, MSL
  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
• Steven Benner, director, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution
  Gainesville, Fla.
• Catharine Conley, planetary protection officer
  NASA Headquarters, Washington

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 1 p.m.: Prelaunch News Conference
Participants will be:

• Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate
  NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Omar Baez, NASA launch director
  NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
• Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions
  United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colo.
• Peter Theisinger, MSL project manager
  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
• Clay Flinn, launch weather officer
  45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Curiosity Mission Science Briefing: This briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch news conference. Participating in the briefing will be:

• Michael Meyer, lead scientist for Mars Exploration Program
  NASA Headquarters, Washington
• John Grotzinger, project scientist for Mars Science Laboratory
  California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
• Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator for Sample Analysis at Mars investigation on Curiosity
  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
• David Blake, principal investigator for Chemistry and Mineralogy investigation on Curiosity
  NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
• Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mast Camera and Mars Descent Imager investigations on Curiosity, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif.
• Roger Wiens, principal investigator for Chemistry and Camera investigation on Curiosity
  Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M.

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 1 p.m.: "Why Mars Excites and Inspires Us"
Participants will be:

• Leland Melvin, associate administrator for Education
  NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Scott Anderson, teacher and science department chairman, Da Vinci School for Science & the Arts, El Paso, Texas
• Clara Ma, student, NASA contest winner for naming Curiosity
  Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
• Veronica McGregor, manager, Media Relations Office, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m.: "Missions to Mars: Robotics and Humans Together"
(Originating from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston)

• Doug Ming, manager, Human Exploration Science Office; MSL Co-Investigator
  NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston
• Bret Drake, deputy chief architect, Human Spaceflight Architecture Team
  NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston
• Matt Ondler, assistant director, Advanced Project Development
  NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston
• Mike Gernhardt, NASA astronaut
  NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston
• Dr. John Charles, program scientist, Human Research Program
  NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston

A post-launch news conference will be held at the NASA News Center approximately 2 ½ hours after launch.


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Atlas V Launch Vehicle Rollout

Wednesday, Nov. 23: There will be a media opportunity to observe the rollout of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Reporters should be at the Kennedy press site at 9 a.m. for transportation by bus to the viewing location near Space Launch Complex 41. Media should register their planned attendance at the event on a sign-up list at the Kennedy press site.

Remote Camera Placement at Space Launch Complex 41

Wednesday, Nov. 23: Photographers who wish to set up remote sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch pad will be taken by government bus to Space Launch Complex 41.Photographers should meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy press site at 12:30 p.m. Remote cameras are being placed at the pad two days before launch because the pad will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Media should plan on using a timer that can be set for more than 24 hours. Only news media representatives establishing a remote camera at the pad will be permitted for this activity. Photographers should register on the sign-up list at the Kennedy press site.

Launch Day Press Site Access

Friday, Nov. 25: Reporters will cover the MSL launch from the Kennedy press site. Access will be through Gate 2 on State Road 3 or Gate 3 on State Road 405, east of the Kennedy Visitor Complex, beginning at 6 a.m. There will be no access through Gate 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station or Gate 4 to the north of Kennedy Space Center.
Kennedy News Center Hours
Monday, Nov. 21: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 23: Closed for Thanksgiving

Friday, Nov. 25: 5:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
NASA Television Launch Coverage
On Friday, Nov. 25, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude after spacecraft separation from the Atlas V occurs 53 minutes, 49 seconds after launch. Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels.
A post-launch news conference will be held at the Kennedy press site approximately 2 ½ hours after launch. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the health of MSL is confirmed. Spokespeople also will be available at the press site to answer questions and do interviews.

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135.On launch day, mission audio of the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 7:15 a.m. Launch coverage also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz broadcast within Brevard County.

NASA Web Coverage
Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the MSL spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov

A prelaunch webcast for the MSL mission will be streamed on the Web on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at noon. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824.

To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the MSL mission, visit the mission home page at:

http://www.nasa.gov/msl

Twitter
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/nasakennedy

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SPACE.com: Mars Rover’s Hovering Act Will Have NASA Scientists Biting Nails

 

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NASA:

Nov. 15, 2011​

Launch Team Focuses on Unique Needs of Curiosity

About the size of a small SUV and weighing as much as some cars, the Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" is being asked to conduct the most intensive examination of the surface of the red planet ever attempted. It carries cameras, a robotic arm, drill and even a laser to vaporize bits of rock at a distance.

That's too much work for solar panels to power, so NASA is fueling the rover with a plutonium-powered battery of sorts called a multi-mission radioisotope thermal generator, or MMRTG. Loaded with 10 pounds of the material, the power source is expected to generate electricity for a mission lasting at least two Earth years.

"It requires a fancy power supply in order to do the job," said Dr. Pam Conrad, deputy principal investigator for MSL. "This enables us to make measurements all day, every day, at night, in the winter."

Before researchers get a taste of groundbreaking research about Mars, the launch team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is focusing on its responsibility to safely launch the spacecraft and its power source.

Even if there were an accident and a release of plutonium, something officials put at a 3-tenths of one percent chance of happening, the material would most likely remain on federal property either at Kennedy or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mission's launch site.

However, preparation has been the foremost thought for NASA officials and the launch team will be beefed up with officials from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Calif., specifically the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center, or NARAC, a team that models plumes to predict radiation hazards.

Ron Baskett, an atmospheric scientist for NARAC, said a network will be in place on launch day to feed critical information to the Livermore lab to generate the models if there is a release of radioactive material.

Even the network to collect that data will be strengthened a bit over the usual launch day measures. The National Weather Service's Melbourne office will focus some of its instruments on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the day of launch, now targeted for Nov. 25.

For its part, NASA and the Air Force's 45th Space Wing have 46 towers to collect wind data and two more detailed instruments that collect information about conditions more than 20 miles above Earth.

"We believe we have the right team put together, with the right people and all the control and functions that you might expect for this type of launch," Brisbin said.

Officials expect a normal launch day, culminating in an Atlas V lifting Curiosity off the Earth and on a path to Mars.

"If you see a plume, it does not mean there's been an accident," said Dr. Frank Merceret, director of research for Kennedy's weather office. Most launches produce a plume of some sort, he said, and even accident would not necessarily indicate any radiation has leaked from the spacecraft.

NASA has used the power units 26 times in the past, including the Apollo moon landings and the Viking landers on Mars. Also, they've been used to power the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft, along with the Galileo mission to Jupiter. More recently, the Cassini mission to Saturn and New Horizons mission to Pluto both run on RTGs. All were launched safely.

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NewScientist: Mega-rover ready to hunt for life signs on Mars

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now: Nuclear power generator hooked up to Mars rover

Engineers installed the plutonium power source on NASA's Curiosity rover Thursday, adding the final piece to the complex robot before its Nov. 25 blastoff to Mars.

The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG, moved from a preparation building to the Atlas 5 rocket's Vertical Integration Facility early Thursday.

The 99-pound device was lifted inside the building and inserted through an access door on the rocket's bulbous white payload fairing. Technicians placed the power source on Curiosity through an opening on the spacecraft's backshell, which encloses the rover and its landing system during the journey from Earth to Mars.

It's a simple connection, according to David Gruel, manager of the mission's assembly, test and launch operations phase.

"We have four bolts holding it on and we hook up the electrical connections," Gruel said.

Once the MMRTG is all hooked up, the spacecraft will begin receiving its own power. The final power-up is scheduled for Friday morning, and it won't be turned off again.

"It's really cool that when the vehicle is powered on [Friday] with the RTG that it's basically going to stay powered all the way through the mission," Gruel said.

The attachment of the power source is one of the last steps to prepare the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission for launch. The 197-foot-tall Atlas 5 rocket will roll to the launch pad Nov. 23 in advance of liftoff Nov. 25 at 10:25 a.m. EST (1525 GMT).

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The Mars Science Laboratory's MMRTG power source. Credit: NASA/KSC

A glowing pellet of plutonium-238. Credit: U.S. Department of Energy

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBtXnug-rgM&feature=channel_video_title"]Mars Rover Power - YouTube[/ame](not sure if this was posted already, but it explains what the MMRTG does)

 

[N_Molson]

The great advantage with the RTGs is that you don't have to worry with hardware power-on once in orbit, solar panels deployement & alignement, like it was the case with Phobos-Grunt.

 

[IronRain]

The great advantage with the RTGs is that you don't have to worry with hardware power-on once in orbit, solar panels deployement & alignement, like it was the case with Phobos-Grunt.

Or all the dust on the solar panels once the spacecraft is on the surface of mars, like with the MERs.

 

[RisingFury]

Or all the dust on the solar panels once the spacecraft is on the surface of mars, like with the MERs.

That only happened once past the design life was exceeded and from time to time, the panels get cleared by wind and dust devils.

Another problem on Mars are the winters. The RTG will keep Curiosity warm.

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Inside Huge Mars Rover's Sky Crane Landing (Infographic)

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SPACE.com: Complete Coverage: NASA's Huge New Rover Launching to Mars


NASA:

Nov. 18, 2011​

MEDIA ADVISORY : M11-237
NASA Announces Prelaunch Events for Mars Science Lab Mission


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the Press Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for the agency's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover launch.

MSL is scheduled to liftoff at 10:25 a.m. EST on Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

NASA Television's countdown launch commentary begins at 8 a.m. on Nov. 25. That also is when a NASA blog will begin providing countdown updates. Originating from the Air Force station's Hangar AE, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to liftoff.

Detailed lists of news briefing times and participants, prelaunch media tours and photo opportunities and hours of operation for Kennedy's Press Site are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/index.html

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[orb]

NASA:

Nov. 18, 2011​

Mars Science Laboratory/Atlas V Launch Briefing and Events Schedule

(All times are Eastern)

All briefings for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch will be held inside the Kennedy news center auditorium and will be carried live on NASA Television, unless otherwise noted.

L-4 Days – Monday, Nov. 21 – Office Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

11 a.m. -- Kennedy Space Center Radiological Control Center (RADCC) Tour – Safety Procedures for MSL's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (MMRTGs) – (Not on NASA TV)

• Arrive at Press Site by 10:30 a.m. for 10:45 p.m. departure; Return to Press Site by 12:30 p.m.

1 p.m. -- What Do We Know About Mars? News Conference

• Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program
• John Grotzinger, project scientist, Mars Science Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
• Bethany Ehlmann, scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory assistant professor, California Institute of Technology

2:30 p.m. -- 21st Century Ground Systems Program Tour (Not on NASA TV) – Launch Equipment Test Facility, Operations & Checkout Building for Orion, Multi-Payload Processing Facility and Canister Rotation Facility

• Arrive at Press Site by 2:15 p.m. for 2:30 p.m. departure; Return to Press Site by 4:30 p.m.

L-3 Days – Tuesday, Nov. 22 – Office Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

11 a.m. - Looking for Signs of Life in the Universe News Conference

• Mary Voytek, director, NASA Astrobiology Program
• Jamie Foster, professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Science University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
• Pan Conrad, deputy principle investigator, Sample Analysis at Mars, MSL
• Steven Benner, director, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution
• Catharine Conley, NASA planetary protection officer

1 p.m. - Prelaunch News Conference

• Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate
• Omar Baez, NASA launch director
• Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions United Launch Alliance
• Peter Theisinger, MSL project manager
• Clay Flinn, launch weather officer 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

2 p.m. - Mars Science Laboratory Science Briefing

• Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA Mars Exploration Program
• John Grotzinger, project scientist for Mars Science Laboratory California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
• Paul Mahaffy, NASA principal investigator for Sample Analysis at Mars investigation on Curiosity
• David Blake, NASA principal investigator for Chemistry and Mineralogy investigation on Curiosity
• Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mast Camera and Mars Descent Imager investigations on Curiosity Malin Space Science Systems
• Roger Wiens, principal investigator for Chemistry and Camera investigation on Curiosity Los Alamos National Laboratory

3:15 p.m. - Commercial Crew Program Status Update & Tour (Not on NASA TV) – Commercial Crew Program Manager Ed Mango Briefing at Press Site TV Auditorium – Tour: The Boeing Company (CST-100 spacecraft) at Orbiter Processing Facility-3; United Launch Alliance (Atlas V rocket) at Vertical Integration Facility, Space Launch Complex 41; and SpaceX (Falcon 9 rocket) at Space Launch Complex 40

• Arrive at Press Site by 3 p.m. in Press Site TV Auditorium; Return to Press Site by 7 p.m.

L-2 Days – Wednesday, Nov. 23 – Office Hours: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10 a.m. - MLS/Atlas V Rollout to Space Launch Complex 41

• Arrive at Press Site by 9 a.m. for departure; Return to Press Site by 12 p.m. – Rollout operation takes about 30 minutes

12:30 p.m. - Remote camera set up (Not on NASA TV)

• Arrive at Press Site by 12:15 p.m. for departure

1 p.m. - Why Mars Excites and Inspires Us News Conference

• Leland Melvin, NASA associate administrator for Education
• Scott Anderson, teacher and science department chairman Da Vinci School for Science and the Arts, El Paso, Texas
• Clara Ma, student, NASA contest winner for naming Curiosity, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
• Veronica McGregor, manager, Media Relations Office NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Lauren Lyons, graduate student, Harvard University, First robotics alumna

2 p.m. - "Missions to Mars: Robotics and Humans Together” (Originating from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston)

• Doug Ming, manager, Human Exploration Science Office; MSL co-investigator at NASA Johnson Space Center
• Bret Drake, deputy chief architect, Human Spaceflight Architecture Team
• Matt Ondler, assistant director, Advanced Project Development
• Mike Gernhardt, NASA astronaut
• Dr. John Charles, program scientist, Human Research Program

3:15 p.m. - 21st Century Ground Systems Program Tour (Not on NASA TV) – Vehicle Assembly Building, Launch Pad 39B/mobile launcher/crawler-transporter, Launch Control Center Firing Room 1

• Arrive at Press Site by 3:15 p.m. in Press Site TV auditorium – Return to Press Site by 6:30 p.m.

L-1 Day – Thursday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day) – Office Hours: Closed

• Closed for Thanksgiving Day Holiday – Any status updates will be posted on NASA’s MSL website, http://www.nasa.gov/msl; Kennedy’s media update phone line: 321-867-2525; and http://www.twitter.com/nasakennedy

Launch Day – Friday, Nov. 25 – 5:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

8 a.m. - NASA TV launch commentary coverage and launch blog at http://www.nasa.gov/msl begins

10:25 a.m. - Launch

1 p.m. (approximately) - Post-launch News Conference​

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NASA: MSL Entry, Descent and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI)

Universe Today: NASA’s Curiosity Set to Search for Signs of Martian Life

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now:

• Mission Status Center:

  SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011DELAY. Launch of the Mars Science Laboratory on the Atlas 5 rocket has been postponed a day to give time for replacement of a suspect safety system battery aboard the booster.
  
  Liftoff is rescheduled for next Saturday at 10:02 a.m. EST (1502 GMT).

• Atlas/MSL launch timeline
  
  
• Atlas launch ground track
  
  
• Mars Science Lab Launch Windows

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: NASA's Mars mission delayed a day.

CBS News Space: NASA Mars launch delayed one day to replace suspect battery

SPACE.com:

• NASA Delays Launch of Huge Mars Rover by 1 Day
  
  
• 11 Amazing Things NASA's Huge Mars Rover Can Do

The calendar event for the launch has been updated with the new launch date and time.

 

[orb]

Universe Today: Curiosity Powered Up for Martian Voyage on Nov. 26 – Exclusive Message from Chief Engineer Rob Manning

SPACE.com: NASA to Launch Mars Rover 'Dream Machine' This Week

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: NASA Aims For Mars Lab Launch Saturday

 

[orb]

A couple of images from movement of MMRTG to VIF (Nov. 17):

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Click on images to enlarge​

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SPACE.com: New NASA Rover to Look Deep into Mars' Past

Spaceflight Now: From Earth to Gale: Curiosity aims for Martian dry lake bed

NASA: MEDIA ADVISORY : M11-238 - NASA Updates Prelaunch Events For Mars Science Lab Mission

 

[orb]

The Planetary Society Blog: Curiosity in context: Not exactly "Viking on wheels," but close:

|Sojourner|Spirit and Opportunity|Curiosity|Viking

Mass of rover (kg)|10.6|185|900|576

Mass of science instruments (kg)|0.75|5.5|72|91

# of science instruments*|1|5|10|8

# of engineering cameras|3|6|12

(6 with full redundancy)​

|0

Mission goal |To demonstrate technology, and determine the elemental abundances of surface rock.|To determine the history of climate and water at a site on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life.|To explore and quantitatively assess Mars as a potential habitat for life, past or present.|To conduct a detailed scientific investigation of Mars, including a search for life.

Wheelbase|65 cm long, 45 cm wide|141 cm long, 122 cm wide|280 cm long and wide|3 equally spaced footpads 221 cm apart

Wheel diameter|13 cm|26 cm|50 cm|--

Camera height|26 cm|152 cm|200 cm|130 cm

Energy per sol (avg.)|100 W-hr (solar array)|900 W-hr (solar array)|2400 W-hr (RTG)|1600 Wh per sol (RTG)

Nominal mission|7 sols / a few m traverse|90 sols / 600-1,000 m traverse|687 sols / 20,000 m traverse|45 sols

Actual mission|81 sols / 100 m traverse|

• Spirit: 2,210 sols (at least) / 7,730 m traverse
• Opportunity: 2,500+ sols and 27,000+ m traverse and counting

|????|

• Lander 1: 2,245 sols
• Lander 2: 1,281 sols

{colsp=5}*instrument totals do not include cameras used for engineering purposes such as hazard avoidance, nor do they include instrument positioning tools like camera masts, robotic arms, or sampling equipment.

 

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Parabolic Arc: NASA Prepares to Launch Mars Science Lab Curiosity


Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Launch Weather Not Perfect; Just Good Enough


SPACE.com:

• Could NASA's New Mars Rover Actually Find Martian Life?
• Mars Mission May Be Curtain Call for Plutonium-Powered Spacecraft
• FAQ: Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity Rover

Universe Today: Science Rich Gale Crater and NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover in Glorious 3-D – Touchdown in a Habitable Zone

Click on image to enlarge​

Gale Crater in 3 D - Curiosity Mars Rover Landing siteNASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, the Mars Science Laboratory carrying the Curiosity rover, is set to launch atop an Atlas V rocket on Nov. 26 at 10:02 a.m. EST on a mission to examine Gale Crater on Mars that shows geologic evidence of minerals that formed in flowing liquid water.​

Credit: NASA​

NASA: Mars Rover Well-Equipped for Studies


SPACE.com: New NASA Mars Rover May Help Launch Future Searches for Life

 

[T.Neo]

Why does the Atlas CCB look different on this mission? Less brown-ish and more silver-y. New insulations/coatings, perhaps?

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflght: Curiosity/Atlas V teams set for holiday weekend launch to Mars

SPACE.com:

• Inside Look: The Construction of NASA's Next Mars Rover
• Record Crowds Expected at NASA Mars Rover Launch
• Would a Mars Science Laboratory Launch Accident Pose a Radiation Risk?

 

[statickid]

hahah love that utilitarian brushed metal look of the rocket

 

[IronRain]

MSL Spacecraft and Vehicle Flow

 

[orb]

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Mars mission given "go" for Saturday launch:

{...}

The weather for launch day looks OK with a 70 percent chance conditions will cooperate. The main concerns, at this point, are cumulus clouds or low clouds.

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NASA: Mars Science Laboratory Launch Milestones / the same at NASA JPL

The Planetary Society Blog: How to watch Curiosity's launch

Universe Today: How Will MSL Navigate to Mars? Very Precisely

CBS News Space: Mars Science Laboratory set for Saturday launch

Spaceflight Now: Mobile science laboratory heading for Mars on Saturday

Discovery News: Mars Rover Plutonium Triggers Launch Precautions

SPACE.com:

• New NASA Rover May Climb 3-Mile-High Martian Mountain
• NASA Mars Rover Ready for Saturday Launch
• Are We There Yet? How Scientists Will Endure Curiosity's Long Trip to Mars

 

[SiberianTiger]

Do we have countdown clocks for this mission, please?

 

[SiberianTiger]

Maverick has one in his signature.

Cool, when I next time meet him, I'll know how much time is left. :lol: