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Mars Science Laboratory

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a NASA mission to land and control a rover named Curiosity on the surface of the planet Mars.[5][6][7] The MSL was launched on November 26, 2011. The MSL successfully did the first-ever precision landing on Mars. It landed on Mars at Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 and began exploring the surface.

Mars Science Laboratory
MSL cruise stage configuration (PIA14831).png
MSL cruise configuration
Mission typeMars rover
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2011-070A
SATCAT no.37936
Websitehttp://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
Mission durationPrimary: 669 Martian sols
     (687 days)
Elapsed: 4400 sols
     (4520 days)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerJPL, Lockheed Martin[1]
Launch mass3,839 kg (8,463 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateNovember 26, 2011, 15:02:00.211 (2011-11-26UTC15:02) UTC
RocketAtlas V 541 (AV-028)
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Mars rover
Landing dateAugust 6, 2012, 05:17 UTC[2] SCET
MSD 49269 05:50:16 AMT
Landing site"Bradbury Landing" in Gale Crater
4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E / -4.5895; 137.4417[3][4]
Mars Science Laboratory mission logo.png  
Schematic diagram of the planned rover components.

The goal of the Curiosity rover is to study the history of Mars. It was to see whether Mars has, or ever had, an environment able to support microbial life. It indeed did that, finding evidence that 3 Billion years ago there was once water and an environment that could support life. This means it found that life could have existed, but not that it certainly did. It will also carefully look at samples scooped up from the soil and drilled powders from rocks.[8]

Curiosity is five times as heavy as the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit or Opportunity and carries more than ten times their mass of scientific instruments .[9] It was launched by an Atlas V 541 rocket. Curiosity will be expected to work for at least 1 Martian year (668 Martian sols/686 Earth days), but may live a lot longer than that. It will explore Mars with greater range than any other rover.

Mars Science Laboratory mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. The program is a long-term mission of robotic exploration of Mars. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology manages the program for NASA. The total cost of the MSL project is about US$2.3 billion.[10][11]

Mars Science Laboratory Media

  • Hubble view of Mars: Gale crater can be seen. Slightly left and south of center, it is a small dark spot with dust trailing southward from it.

  • MSL self-portrait from Gale Crater sol 85 (October 31, 2012).

  • Mars Science Laboratory in final assembly

  • Schéma de Mars Science Laboratory

  • Goldstone antenna can receive signals

  • Wheels of a working sibling to Curiosity. The Morse code pattern (for "JPL") is represented by small (dot) and large (dash) holes in three horizontal lines on the wheels. The code on each line is read from right to left.

  • The shadow of Curiosity and Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp")

  • Comparison of Radiation Doses – includes the amount detected on the trip from Earth to Mars by the RAD on the MSL (2011–2013).

  • The RAD on Curiosity.

References

  1. ↑ Klotz, Irene (November 24, 2011). "New NASA rover to scout for life's habitats on Mars". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/24/us-space-mars-idUSTRE7AN0AT20111124. Retrieved May 5, 2015. 
  2. ↑ Wall, Mike (August 6, 2012). "Touchdown! Huge NASA Rover Lands on Mars". Space.com. http://www.space.com/16932-mars-rover-curiosity-landing-success.html. Retrieved December 14, 2012. 
  3. ↑ "Video from rover looks down on Mars during landing". MSNBC. August 6, 2012. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48540619/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/video-rover-looks-down-mars-during-landing/. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  4. ↑ Young, Monica (August 7, 2012). "Watch Curiosity Descend onto Mars". Sky & Telescope. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/watch-curiosity-descend-onto-mars/. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  5. ↑ "Name NASA's Next Mars Rover". NASA/JPL. 2009-05-27. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  6. ↑ "NASA Selects Student's Entry as New Mars Rover Name". NASA/JPL. 2009-05-27. Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  7. ↑ Kaufman, Marc (November 19, 2011). A mission of Curiosity. p. A1. 
  8. ↑ "Mars Science Laboratory: Mission". NASA/JPL. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  9. ↑ Watson, Traci (2008-04-14). "Troubles parallel ambitions in NASA Mars project". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-04-13-mars_N.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  10. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (2008-12-04). "NASA Delays Next Mars Rover Mission". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/science/space/05mars.html. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  11. ↑ Kaufman, Marc (2011-11-21). Landing on Mars is hard, but another mission to the Red Planet is about to begin. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/landing-on-mars-is-hard-but-another-mission-to-the-red-planet-is-about-to-begin/2011/11/16/gIQA50ExhN_story.html. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 

More reading

M. K. Lockwood (2006). "Introduction: Mars Science Laboratory: The Next Generation of Mars Landers And The Following 13 articles" (PDF). Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. 43 (2): 257. Bibcode:2006JSpRo..43..257L. doi:10.2514/1.20678. Archived from the original (.PDF) on 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2011-11-19.

Other websites

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