Rover Curiosity just hours from Mars
<a href=
“http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/tech/mars-rover-curiosity/index.html” target=”_blank”>CNN/
Humanity’s curiosity about Mars has led to an exciting event: the dramatic landing of an SUV-sized rover, set for 1:31 a.m. ET Monday.
NASA’s $2.6 billion rover, Curiosity, will make its dramatic entrance into Martian territory in a spectacle popularly known as the “seven minutes of terror.” This jaw-dropping landing process, involving a sky crane and the world’s largest supersonic parachute, allows the spacecraft carrying Curiosity to target the landing area that scientists have meticulously chosen.
The spacecraft is “healthy and right on course,” according to the latest update from NASA. Curiosity has been traveling away from Earth since November 26.
The vehicle, which will be controlled from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has a full suite of sophisticated tools for exploring Mars. They include 17 cameras, a laser that can survey the composition of rocks from a distance and instruments that can analyze samples from soil or rocks.
Short URL: http://thehivedaily.com/?p=21431
Posted by hive
on Aug 5 2012. Filed under Breaking, Science and Nature, Tip Of The Spear.
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