lego. curiosity. mars science laboratory rover
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Mars Science Laboratory Rover
Original design by Stephen Pakbaz
Mission information and images from
NASA/JPL: mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
Support the model on LEGO CUUSOO.
Digital instructions are also available:
lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/3431
1
The Mars Science Laboratory Rover, named Curiosity, was launched by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on November 26, 2011 and will land on Mars
on August 5, 2012, 10:31 PM PDT. The mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL).
The primary goal is to investigate the habitability of Mars, including past and present
conditions favorable to life. Curiosity will also study the geology, climate, and plan for future
human exploration. The mission is designed to last for one Martian year, 687 Earth days
(669 Martian days), but has the potential to continue for many years afterwards.
Curiosity has many instruments and tools available to accomplish this mission. Some of
these tools include cameras, scoops, drills, and a high powered infrared laser used to
vaporize rock samples. The instruments will analyze rocks, minerals, gases, organic
compounds, water/ice, weather, and radiation.
Gale Crater is the chosen landing site for
Curiosity. This Martian feature, located near the
equator, is over 96 miles (154 kilometers) in
diameter and was formed over 3 billion years
ago. The mountain at the center of the crater
reaches a height of 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers)
above the crater floor. It is made up of a series
of layered deposits. Curiosity will investigate
these layers as it drives up, starting with the
older material at the bottom and reaching newer
layers as it travels higher.
The Mission
The Destination
2
A Lab on Wheels
Locations of several science instruments
and major subsystems on the NASA Mars
rover Curiosity are indicated. These include
(clockwise from left): Rover Environmental
Monitoring Station (REMS); Mast Camera
(Mastcam); Chemistry and Camera
(ChemCam); Rover ultra high-frequency
(RUHF) antenna; Multi-mission radioisotope
thermoelectric generator (MMRTG); Rover
low-gain (RLGA) antenna; high-gain
antenna; Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
(DAN); mobility system (wheels and
suspension); Radiation Assessment
Detector (RAD); Mars Descent Imager
(MARDI); turret (see larger image for tools
on the turret at the end of the robotic arm);
and robotic arm. Two science instruments
— Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) — are
inside the body of the rover.
Locations of tools on the turret that is
mounted on Curiosity’s arm are indicated.
These include (clockwise from upper left):
the drill for acquiring powdered samples
from interiors of rocks; the Alpha Particle X-
ray Spectrometer (APXS); the sample
processing subsystem named Collection
and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock
Analysis (CHIMRA), which includes a
scoop for acquiring soil samples; the Dust
Removal Tool (DRT) for brushing rock
surfaces clean; and the Mars Hand Lens
Imager (MAHLI).
ChemCam RUHF
Antenna MMRTG
RLGA
Antenna
Mastcam
REMS
RAD
High Gain
Antenna
DAN
Mobility
System
MARDI Turret
Robotic
Arm
APXS CHIMR
A
Drill
DRT
MAHLI
3
Size Curiosity is about the size of a small SUV – about 10 feet (3 meters) long, 9 feet (2.7
meters) wide, 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall, and weighs over 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). The
robotic arm has a reach of about 7 feet (2.2 meters).
Power Instead of using solar panels to provide power, Curiosity uses a Multi-Mission Radioisotope
Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). Located at the back of the rover, it uses the heat
given off by the natural decay of Plutonium dioxide and converts it directly into electricity.
This power source can keep the rover operating for well over a decade.
Mobility The rover handles the rough Martian terrain using a rocker-bogie suspension system. A
differential mechanism connects the left and right sides of the suspension system. This
allows Curiosity to keep all six wheels on the ground and keep its body balanced. It can
climb over obstacles larger than the 20 inch (50 centimeter) diameter of its wheels. The
rover has a top speed of 1.5 inches per second (4 centimeters per second).
4
Entry, Descent, and Landing
“Seven Minutes of Terror”
1. Guided Entry: The rover begins its
descent into the Martian atmosphere
protected by a heat shield and cone-shaped
aeroshell. Small rockets are used to control
the descent.
2. Parachute Descent: A large parachute,
deployed at supersonic speeds, will help to
slow down the Rover as it approaches the
surface.
3. Powered Descent: The Descent Stage,
attached to the top of the Rover, will use its
rockets to bring the Rover the rest of the
way to the surface
4. Sky Crane: Once near the
ground, the Descent Stage will lower
the Rover on a set of cables. This is
called the Sky-Crane maneuver.
5. Flyaway: When the Rover has
been set down, the cables are cut
and the Descent Stage flies away to
crash at a safe distance from the
Rover.
The process of landing, beginning from entering the atmosphere, to touchdown on the
surface, is accomplished autonomously in seven nail-biting minutes.
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MAST
The mast includes high-
definition cameras and a
laser-equipped, spectrum
reading camera that can hit
a rock with a laser and
observe the resulting spark
for information about what
chemical elements are in
the rock.
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RADIOISOTOPE
THERMOELECTRIC
GENERATOR (RTG)
The RTG uses the energy
from the natural decay of
Plutonium-238 dioxide to
provide Curiosity with 110
watts of power and is
designed to last for a
minimum of 14 years.
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Robotic arm in stowed position. Delivering soil to sample inlets.
ROBOTIC ARM
The Turret at the end of
the Robotic Arm contains
a spectrometer, brush,
camera, drill , and a
color camera with a
resolution of less than
one-thousandth of an
inch (14 microns). The
arm is also used to grind
up rock samples and
deliver them to the SAM
and CheMin instruments
inside the body of the
rover for analysis.
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ROCKER-BOGIE SUSPENSION SYSTEM
The rover body is balanced on the rocker-bogie
suspension through an offset-differential arm that
runs across the top of the rover, connecting the
left and right sides of the suspension. This helps
to minimize the tilt of the rover body as it travels
over uneven terrain. This system also allows the
rover to keep all six wheels on the ground and
climb over rocks that are taller than its 20 inch (50
cm) diameter wheels.
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