Mars Science Laboratory facts for kids
| Mars Science Laboratory mission | |
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 2011 concept artwork |
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| Organization: | NASA |
| Major contractors: | Boeing Lockheed Martin |
| Mission type: | Rover |
| Launch date: | November 26, 2011 (10:02 am, Eastern Time Zone) |
| Launch vehicle: | Atlas V 541 (AV-028) |
| Launch site: | Cape Canaveral LC-41 |
| Mission duration: | 668 Martian sols (686 Earth days) |
| NSSDC ID: | MARSCILAB |
| Webpage: | Mars Science Laboratory |
| Mass: | 900 kg (2,000 lb) |
| Power: | Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) |
| Planet: | Mars |
| Landing: | August 6, 2012 |
Quick facts for kids edit |
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The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a NASA mission to land and control a rover named Curiosity on the surface of the planet Mars. 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.
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 a life-supporting environment. It is important to know that it found that life COULD HAVE existed, not that it certainly DID. It will also carefully look at samples scooped up from the soil and drilled powders from rocks.
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 . 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.
Images for kids
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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.
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MSL self-portrait from Gale Crater sol 85 (October 31, 2012).
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Mars Science Laboratory in final assembly
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Diagram of the MSL spacecraft: 1- Cruise stage; 2- Backshell; 3- Descent stage; 4- Curiosity rover; 5- Heat shield; 6- Parachute
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Color-coded rover diagram
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Goldstone antenna can receive signals
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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.
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The shadow of Curiosity and Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp")
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Comparison of Radiation Doses – includes the amount detected on the trip from Earth to Mars by the RAD on the MSL (2011–2013).
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The RAD on Curiosity.
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MARDI views the surface
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MSL's cruise stage being tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, California
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Aeolis Mons rises from the middle of Gale Crater – Green dot marks the Curiosity rover landing site in Aeolis Palus – North is down
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The MSL launched from Cape Canaveral
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Animation of Mars Science Laboratory's trajectory Earth · Mars · Mars Science Laboratory
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Martian atmosphere entry events from cruise stage separation to parachute deployment
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The guided entry is the phase that allowed the spacecraft to steer with accuracy to its planned landing site
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MSL's parachute is 16 m (52 ft) in diameter.
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NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as the probe descended to the surface. August 6, 2012.
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The powered descent stage
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Entry events from parachute deployment through powered descent ending at sky crane flyaway
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Artist's conceptIon of Curiosity being lowered from the rocket-powered descent stage.
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Curiosity's first test drive (Bradbury Landing) (August 22, 2012).
