CURIOSITY: Big Mars Rover for Big Mars Science! : CURIOSITY: Big Mars Rover for Big Mars Science! Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : NASA’s Mars Rover Curiosity is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity is headed to Gale Crater. : Curiosity is headed to Gale Crater. NASA/JPL-Caltech You can see where other Mars landers and rovers have successfully landed on Mars too.
Gale Crater is about 96 miles wide. It has many rock layers for Curiosity to explore, from canyons to channels, all in one place! : Gale Crater is about 96 miles wide. It has many rock layers for Curiosity to explore, from canyons to channels, all in one place! NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : At Gale, Curiosity will study Martian rocks and minerals that hold clues to whether Mars ever could have supported small life forms called microbes. False Color, Panoramic Camera, on Opportunity rover NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
PowerPoint Presentation : Curiosity will pick up where other Mars rovers left off. Beyond signs of water, the rover will look for signs of organics, the chemical building blocks of life. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : To find out if Mars ever could have supported microbial life, the team built a lot of science tools on the rover to study rocks and soil up close. NASA/JPL-Caltech Rocks hold the record of what past environments on Mars were like.
PowerPoint Presentation : Here are some of Curiosity’s main tools for studying Mars. You can see that the rover is packed with tools! NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : That’s why Curiosity is so large. It takes a car-sized rover to carry so many tools. Spirit/Opportunity (2004) Sojourner (1997) Curiosity (2011) NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity will use her camera “eyes” to take images of the Martian landscape and to study rock layers. Some of these rock layers hold clues to whether Mars could have ever been a habitat for life. These two cameras are called Mastcam. : Curiosity will use her camera “ eyes ” to take images of the Martian landscape and to study rock layers. Some of these rock layers hold clues to whether Mars could have ever been a habitat for life. These two cameras are called Mastcam. NASAJPL-Caltech
The laser can vaporize a thin layer of rock and tell from the color of the sparks what the rock is made of. : The laser can vaporize a thin layer of rock and tell from the color of the sparks what the rock is made of. Artist’s Concept. NASAJPL-Caltech
Curiosity’s seven-foot-long arm has tools built into its “hand.” : Curiosity’s seven-foot-long arm has tools built into its “ hand.” The “hand” will reach out and touch Mars, finding out about what the past environment was like. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
On its hand, Curiosity has a hand lens called MAHLI (a “magnifying glass”) for studying soil grains. : On its hand, Curiosity has a hand lens called MAHLI (a “magnifying glass”) for studying soil grains. It can take photos of rocks far away too, and carries its own lighting to take photos at night. NASAJPL-Caltech/MSSS
The trip will take over eight months. The rover will travel about 354 million miles (570 million kilometers). : The trip will take over eight months. The rover will travel about 354 million miles (570 million kilometers). Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
The spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere 78 miles above the planet. The rover will take approximately seven minutes to reach the ground. : The spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere 78 miles above the planet. The rover will take approximately seven minutes to reach the ground. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech The spacecraft can steer its way through the turbulent atmosphere so it can land more accurately.
The friction of the atmosphere slows the spacecraft from 13,000 mph to about 900 mph. : The friction of the atmosphere slows the spacecraft from 13,000 mph to about 900 mph. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech The heat shield may reach 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit!
A supersonic parachute slows the spacecraft from about 900 mph to 180 mph, the speed of a Formula One race car. : A supersonic parachute slows the spacecraft from about 900 mph to 180 mph, the speed of a Formula One race car. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
While slowing down using the parachute, the heat shield is popped off, exposing the rover to the Martian atmosphere. : While slowing down using the parachute, the heat shield is popped off, exposing the rover to the Martian atmosphere. The rover ’ s descent camera begins taking a movie of the remaining five-mile flight to the ground. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
The engines on the descent stage roar to life and fly the rover down the last mile to the surface. : The engines on the descent stage roar to life and fly the rover down the last mile to the surface. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech As it descends, the rover uses radar to measure its speed and altitude, which it uses to land safely.
PowerPoint Presentation : The hovering descent stage lowers the rover on three nylon ropes called bridle. Coiled electronics and communications cables also unspool from the descent stage. This configuration is known as the “Sky Crane.” Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : By the time Curiosity touches down, the rover is going about two miles per hour. Less than seven minutes before, it was traveling at 13,000 miles per hour! Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : When the sky crane “ senses ” that Curiosity has touched down, the cables are cut. The sky crane flies a safe distance away from the rover before crash-landing. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
For the first time, a Mars rover will land with wheels touching down first, instead of airbags. : For the first time, a Mars rover will land with wheels touching down first, instead of airbags. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech
PowerPoint Presentation : Curiosity will start exploring Mars after raising its “ head ” and doing a “ self-check ” to make sure all systems are go. Artist’s Concept. NASA/JPL-Caltech Driving could take several days to a few weeks after landing.
Curiosity is expected to work for one Martian year, or about two Earth years. : Curiosity is expected to work for one Martian year, or about two Earth years. Artist’s Concept. NASAJ/PL-Caltech Don’t miss the adventure on Mars, beginning August 2012!
Follow Curiosity! : Follow Curiosity! Mission Website: mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl Twitter: @MarsCuriosity Be A Martian! beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov/msl