How NASA plans to land a 2000 pound rover on Mars
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As part of the hardware testing, an exact copy of the Curiosity rover was created and tested on representative Martian landscapes (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Testing of the landing radar over the Arizona desert (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The landing ellipse for Curiosity, inside of Gale Crater, which lies close to the Mars's equator (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
A view of Gale Crater, where Curiosity is scheduled to land (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
A comparison between the wheels of recent Mars rovers. From the left: Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rover, and Curiosity (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
An explosion of the cruise stage of MSL (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The Mars Science Laboratory packs a record 80 kg of science payload (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
As part of the hardware testing, an exact copy of the Curiosity rover was created and tested on representative Martian landscapes (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Testing of the high-velocity, high-altitude portion of the landing using an F-18 jet (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The cruise stage (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The parachute stage (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
An artist's impression of the Mars Science Laboratory moments before touching the Martian ground (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
An artist's impression of the Mars Science Laboratory moments before touching the Martian ground (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Article Summary
A month from now, the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) rover is set to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet and begin its mission to learn more about the possible existence of life - past or present. Curiosity will attempt to touch down using a complex and unusual landing sequence unlike any other used for previous Mars rovers ... here's how the plan will unfold.
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