Mars Science Laboratory 1

Mars Science Laboratory

Mars Science Laboratory

MSL Logo

Operator NASA

Major contractors •• Boeing•• Lockheed Martin

Mission type Rover

Launch date November 26, 2011 15:02:00.211 UTC (10:02 EST)[1][2][3]

Launch vehicle Atlas V 541 (AV-028)

Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-41[4]

Mission duration 668 Martian sols (23 Earth months) primary mission.Current: 115 sols, 118 days since landing

COSPAR ID 2011-070A

Homepage Mars Science Laboratory [5]

Mass 899 kg (1,982 lb)[6]

Power Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG)

Mars landing

Date Aug 6, 2012, 05:17:57.3 UTC SCET[7]

MSD 49269 15:00:01 LMST (Mars time)MSD 49269 05:50:16 AMT[8]

Coordinates Aeolis Palus ("Bradbury Landing") in Gale Crater.4°35′31″S 137°26′25″E(4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E)[9][10]

References: [3][11][12][13]

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011,[1] which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012.[2][7][14] The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a manned mission to Mars.[15] The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international

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team.[16]

Overview

Hubble view of Mars: Gale crater can be seen. Slightly left and southof center, it's a small dark spot with dust trailing southward from it.

MSL successfully carried out a more accurate landingthan previous spacecraft to Mars, aiming for a smalltarget landing ellipse of only 7 by 20 km (4.3 by 12mi),[17] in the Aeolis Palus region of Gale Crater. In theevent, MSL achieved a landing only 2.4 kilometres(1.5 mi) from the center of the target.[18] This locationis near the mountain Aeolis Mons (a.k.a. "MountSharp").[19][20] The rover mission is set to explore forat least 687 Earth days (1 Martian year) over a range of5 by 20 km (3.1 by 12 mi).[21]

The Mars Science Laboratory mission is part ofNASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effortfor the robotic exploration of Mars that is managed bythe Jet Propulsion Laboratory of California Institute ofTechnology. The total cost of the MSL project is aboutUS$2.5 billion.[22] Germany contributed 2.5 millioneuros ($3.1 million USD).[23]

Previous successful U.S. Mars rovers include the Spiritand Opportunity, and the Sojourner rover from the Mars Pathfinder mission. Curiosity is about twice as long and fivetimes as heavy as the Spirit and Opportunity Mars exploration rover payloads of earlier U.S. Mars missions,[24] andcarries over ten times the mass of scientific instruments.[25]

Goals and objectives

MSL self-portrait from Gale Crater sol 84(October 31, 2012).

The MSL mission has four scientific goals: Determine the landingsite's habitability including the role of water, the study of the climateand the geology of Mars. It is also useful preparation for a futuremanned mission to Mars.

To contribute to these goals, MSL has eight main scientificobjectives:[26]

Biological• (1) Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon

compounds• (2) Investigate the chemical building blocks of life (carbon,

hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur)• (3) Identify features that may represent the effects of biological

processes (biosignatures)

Geological and geochemical• (4) Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical

composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geologicalmaterials

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• (5) Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soilsPlanetary process• (6) Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) Martian atmospheric evolution processes• (7) Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxideSurface radiation• (8) Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic radiation, cosmic radiation, solar

proton events and secondary neutronsAs part of its exploration, it also measured the radiation exposure in the interior of the spacecraft as it traveled toMars, and it is continuing radiation measurements as it explores the surface of Mars. This data would be importantfor a future manned mission.[27]

Specifications

Spacecraft

Mars Science Laboratory in final assembly

The spacecraft flight system had a mass at launch of3,893 kg (8,580 lb), consisting of an Earth-Mars fueledcruise stage (539 kg (1,190 lb)), theentry-descent-landing (EDL) system (2,401 kg(5,290 lb) + 390 kg (860 lb) of propellant), and a899 kg (1,980 lb) mobile rover with an integratedinstrument package.[29][30]

The MSL spacecraft includes spaceflight-specificinstruments, in addition to utilizing one of the roverinstruments—Radiation assessment detector(RAD)—during the spaceflight transit to Mars.

• MSL EDL Instrument (MEDLI): The MEDLIproject's main objective is to measure aerothermalenvironments, sub-surface heat shield materialresponse, vehicle orientation, and atmosphericdensity for the atmospheric entry through the sensible atmosphere down to heat shield separation of the MarsScience Laboratory entry vehicle.[31] The MEDLI instrumentation suite was installed in the heatshield of the MSLentry vehicle. The acquired data will support future Mars missions by providing measured atmospheric data tovalidate Mars atmosphere models and clarify the lander design margins on future Mars missions. MEDLIinstrumentation consists of three main subsystems: MEDLI Integrated Sensor Plugs (MISP), Mars EntryAtmospheric Data System (MEADS) and the Sensor Support Electronics (SSE).

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Diagram of the MSL spacecraft: 1- Cruise stage; 2- Backshell; 3-Descent stage; 4- Curiosity rover; 5- Heat shield [28]; 6- Parachute

Rover

Color-coded rover diagram

Curiosity rover has a mass of 899 kg (1,980 lb), cantravel up to 90 m (300 ft) per hour on its six-wheeledrocker-bogie system, is powered by a radioisotopethermoelectric generator (RTG), and communicates inboth X band and UHF bands.

• Computers: The two identical on-board rovercomputers, called "Rover Compute Element" (RCE),contain radiation-hardened memory to tolerate theextreme radiation from space and to safeguardagainst power-off cycles. Each computer's memoryincludes 256 KB of EEPROM, 256 MB of DRAM,and 2 GB of flash memory.[32] This compares to3 MB of EEPROM, 128 MB of DRAM, and256 MB of flash memory used in the MarsExploration Rovers.[33]

The RCE computers use the RAD750 CPU (a successor to the RAD6000 CPU used in the Mars Exploration Rovers) operating at 200MHz.[34][35][36] The RAD750 CPU is capable of up to 400 MIPS, while the RAD6000 CPU is capable of up to 35 MIPS.[37][38] Of the two on-board computers, one is configured as

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backup, and will take over in the event of problems with the main computer.[32]

The rover has an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which isused in rover navigation.[32] The rover's computers are constantly self-monitoring to keep the roveroperational, such as by regulating the rover's temperature.[32] Activities such as taking pictures, driving, andoperating the instruments are performed in a command sequence that is sent from the flight team to therover.[32]

The rover's computers function on VxWorks, a real-time operating system from Wind River Systems.[39] During thetrip to Mars, VxWorks runs applications that are dedicated to the navigation and guidance phase of the mission, andalso had a pre-programmed software sequence for handling the complexity of the entry-descent-landing. Oncelanded, the applications were replaced with software for driving on the surface and performing scientificactivities.[40][41][42]

Goldstone antenna can receive signals

• Communications: Curiosity is equipped withseveral means of communication, for redundancy.An X band small deep space transponder forcommunication directly to Earth, and a UHFElectra-Lite software-defined radio forcommunicating with Mars orbiters.[30]:46 TheX-band system has one radio, with a 15 W poweramplifier, and two antennas: a low-gainomnidirectional antenna that can communicate withEarth at very low data rates (15 bit/s at maximumrange), regardless of rover orientation, and ahigh-gain antenna that can communicate at speedsup to 32 kbit/s, but must be aimed. The UHF systemhas two radios (approximately 9 W transmitpower[30]:81), sharing one omnidirectional antenna.This can communicate with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Odyssey orbiter (ODY) at speeds up to2 Mbit/s and 256 kbit/s, respectively, but each orbiter is only able to communicate with Curiosity for about 8minutes per day.[43] The orbiters have larger antennas and more powerful radios, and can relay data to earth fasterthan the rover could do directly. Therefore, most of the data returned by Curiosity (MSL), is via the UHF relaylinks with MRO and ODY. The data return via the communication infrastructure as implemented at MDL, andobserved during the first 10 days was approximately 31 megabytes per day.

Typically 225 kbit/day of commands are transmitted to the rover directly from Earth, at a data rate of1–2 kbit/s, during a 15-minute (900 second) transmit window, while the larger volumes of data collected bythe rover are returned via satellite relay.[30]:46 The one-way communication delay with Earth varies from 4 to22 minutes, depending on the planets' relative positions, with 12.5 minutes being the average.[44]

At landing, telemetry was monitored by the Mars Odyssey satellite, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA'sMars Express. Odyssey is capable of relaying UHF telemetry back to Earth in real time. The relay time varieswith the distance between the two planets and took 13:46 minutes at the time of landing.[45][46]

• Mobility systems: Curiosity is equipped with six wheels in a rocker-bogie suspension, which also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors.[47][48] The wheels are significantly larger (50 centimetres (20 in) diameter) than those used on previous rovers. Each wheel has cleats and is independently actuated and geared, providing for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. The four corner wheels can be independently steered, allowing the vehicle to turn in place as well as execute arcing turns.[30] Each wheel has a pattern that helps it maintain traction and leaves patterned tracks in the sandy surface of Mars. That pattern is used by on-board cameras to judge the distance traveled. The pattern itself is Morse code for "JPL" (•−−− •−−•

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•−••).[49] Based on the center of mass, the vehicle can withstand a tilt of at least 50 degrees in any directionwithout overturning, but automatic sensors will limit the rover from exceeding 30-degree tilts.[30]

Instruments

Major Instruments

APXS - Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer

ChemCam - Chemistry and Camera Complex

CheMin - Chemistry and Mineralogy

DAN – Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons

Hazcams - Hazard Avoidance Cameras

MastCam - Mast Camera

MARDI – Mars Descent Imager

MAHLI – Mars Hand Lens Imager

MEDLI – MSL EDL Instrument

Navcam - Navigation Cameras

RAD – Radiation Assessment Detector

REMS – Rover Environmental Monitoring Station

SAM – Sample Analysis at Mars

The shadow of Curiosity and Aeolis Mons("Mount Sharp")

The general analysis strategy begins with high resolution cameras tolook for features of interest. If a particular surface is of interest,Curiosity can vaporize a small portion of it with an infrared laser andexamine the resulting spectra signature to query the rock's elementalcomposition. If that signature intrigues, the rover will use its long armto swing over a microscope and an X-ray spectrometer to take a closerlook. If the specimen warrants further analysis, Curiosity can drill intothe boulder and deliver a powdered sample to either the SAM or theCheMin analytical laboratories inside the rover.[50][51][52]

• Alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS): This device canirradiate samples with alpha particles and map the spectra of X-raysthat are re-emitted for determining the elemental composition ofsamples.

• CheMin: CheMin is short for 'Chemistry and Mineralogy', and it isan X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyzer.[53][54][55] It will identify and quantify the minerals presentin rocks and soil and thereby assess the involvement of water in their formation, deposition, or alteration.[54] Inaddition, CheMin data will be useful in the search for potential mineral biosignatures, energy sources for life orindicators for past habitable environments.[53][54]

• Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM): The SAM instrument suite will analyze organics and gases from bothatmospheric and solid samples.[51][52] This include oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in carbon dioxide (CO2) andmethane (CH4) in the atmosphere of Mars in order to distinguish between their geochemical or biologicalorigin.[51][56][57][58][59]

• Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD): This instrument was the first of ten MSL instruments to be turned on.Both en route and on the planet's surface, it will characterize the broad spectrum of radiation encountered in theMartian environment. Turned on after launch, it recorded several radiation spikes caused by the Sun.[60]

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• Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN): A pulsed neutron source and detector for measuring hydrogen or ice andwater at or near the Martian surface.[61][62] On August 18, 2012 (sol 12) the Russian science instrument, DAN,was turned on,[63] marking the success of a Russian-American collaboration on the surface of Mars and the firstworking Russian science instrument on the Martian surface since Mars 3 stopped transmitting over forty yearsago.[64] The instrument is designed to detect subsurface water.[63]

• Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS): Meteorological package and an ultraviolet sensor providedby Spain and Finland.[65] It measures humidity, pressure, temperatures, wind speeds, and ultraviolet radiation.[65]

MARDI views the surface

• Cameras: Curiosity has seventeen cameras overall.[66] 12engineering cameras (Hazcams and Navcams) and five sciencecameras. MAHLI, MARDI, and MastCam cameras were developedby Malin Space Science Systems and they all share common designcomponents, such as on-board electronic imaging processing boxes,1600×1200 CCDs, and a RGB Bayer patternfilter.[67][68][69][70][71][72]

• MastCam: This system provides multiple spectra and true-colorimaging with two cameras.

• Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI): This system consists of acamera mounted to a robotic arm on the rover, used to acquire microscopic images of rock and soil. It haswhite and ultraviolet LEDs for illumination.

• ChemCam: ChemCam is a suite of remote sensing instruments, including the first laser-induced breakdownspectroscopy (LIBS) system to be used for planetary science, and Curiosity's fifth science camera, the remotemicro-imager (RMI). The RMI provides black-and-white images at 1024×1024 resolution in a 0.02 radian(1.1-degree) field of view.[73] This is approximately equivalent to a 1500 mm lens on a 35 mm camera.

• Mars Descent Imager (MARDI): During part of the descent to the Martian surface, MARDI acquired 4 colorimages per second, at 1600×1200 pixels, with a 0.9-millisecond exposure time. Images were taken 4 times persecond, starting shortly before heatshield separation at 3.7 km altitude, until a few seconds after touchdown. Thisprovided engineering information about both the motion of the rover during the descent process, and scienceinformation about the terrain immediately surrounding the rover. NASA descoped MARDI in 2007, but MalinSpace Science Systems contributed it with its own resources.[74] After landing it could take 1.5 mm (0.06 in) perpixel views of the surface,[75] the first of these post-landing photos were taken by August 27, 2012 (sol 20).[76]

•• Engineering cameras: There are 12 additional cameras that support mobility:• Hazard avoidance cameras (Hazcams): The rover has a pair of black and white navigation cameras

(Hazcams) located on each of its four corners.[77] These provide closed-up views of potential obstacles aboutto go under the wheels.

• Navigation cameras (Navcams): The rover uses a two pairs of black and white navigation cameras mountedon the mast to support ground navigation.[77] These provide a longer-distance view of the terrain ahead.

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History

MSL's cruise stage on Earth

NASA called for proposals for the rover's scientific instruments inApril 2004,[78] and eight proposals were selected on December 14 ofthat year.[78] Testing and design of components also began in late2004, including Aerojet's designing of a monopropellant engine withthe ability to throttle from 15–100 percent thrust with a fixedpropellant inlet pressure.[78]

By November 2008 most hardware and software development wascomplete, and testing continued.[79] At this point, cost overruns wereapproximately $400 million.[80] The next month, NASA delayed thelaunch to late 2011 because of inadequate testing time.[81][82][83]

Between March 23–29, 2009, the general public ranked nine finalistrover names (Adventure, Amelia, Journey, Perception, Pursuit,Sunrise, Vision, Wonder, and Curiosity)[84] through a public poll on the NASA website.[85] On May 27, 2009, thewinning name was announced to be Curiosity. The name had been submitted in an essay contest by Clara Ma, a thensixth-grader from Kansas.[85][86][87][88]

“Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions andto wonder. ”

—Clara Ma, NASA/JPL Name the Rover contest

MSL launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011.[89] On January 11, 2012, thespacecraft successfully refined its trajectory with a three-hour series of thruster-engine firings, advancing the rover'slanding time by about 14 hours. When MSL was launched, the program's director was Doug McCuistion of NASA'sPlanetary Science Division.[90]

Curiosity successfully landed in the Gale Crater at 05:17:57.3 UTC on August 6, 2012,[2][7][14] and transmittedHazcam images confirming orientation.[14] Due to the Mars-Earth distance at the time of landing and the limitedspeed of radio signals, the landing was not registered on Earth for another 14 minutes.[14] The Mars ReconnaissanceOrbiter sent a photograph of Curiosity descending under its parachute, taken by its HiRISE camera, during thelanding procedure.Six senior members of the Curiosity team presented a news conference a few hours after landing, they were: JohnGrunsfeld, NASA associate administrator; Charles Elachi, director, JPL; Peter Theisinger, MSL project manager;Richard Cook, MSL deputy project manager; Adam Steltzner, MSL entry, descent and landing (EDL) lead; and JohnGrotzinger, MSL project scientist.[91]

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Landing site selection

Aeolis Mons rises from the middle of Gale Crater– Green dot marks the Curiosity rover landingsite in Aeolis Palus[13][92] – North is down

Over 60 landing sites were evaluated, and by July 2011 Gale crater waschosen. A primary goal when selecting the landing site was to identifya particular geologic environment, or set of environments, that wouldsupport microbial life. Planners looked for a site that could contributeto a wide variety of possible science objectives. They preferred alanding site with both morphologic and mineralogical evidence for pastwater. Furthermore, a site with spectra indicating multiple hydratedminerals was preferred; clay minerals and sulfate salts would constitutea rich site. Hematite, other iron oxides, sulfate minerals, silicateminerals, silica, and possibly chloride minerals were suggested aspossible substrates for fossil preservation. Indeed, all are known tofacilitate the preservation of fossil morphologies and molecules on Earth.[93] Difficult terrain was favored for findingevidence of livable conditions, but the rover must be able to safely reach the site and drive within it.[94]

Engineering constraints called for a landing site less than 45° from the Martian equator, and less than 1 km above thereference datum.[95] At the first MSL Landing Site workshop, 33 potential landing sites were identified.[96] By thesecond workshop in late 2007, the list had grown to include almost 50 sites,[97] and by the end of the workshop, thelist was reduced to six;[98] in November 2008, project leaders at a third workshop reduced the list to these fourlanding sites:[99][100][101][102]

Name Location Elevation Notes

EberswaldeCrater Delta

23°52′S326°44′E

−1450 m (−4757.2 ft) Ancient river delta.[103]

Holden CraterFan

26°22′S325°06′E

unknown operator: u'\u2212'unknown operator: u'\u2212'unknownoperator: u'\u2212' (unknown operator: u'strong' ft)

Dry lake bed.[104]

Gale Crater 4°29′S137°25′E

−4451 m (−14603.0 ft) Features 5 km (3.1 mi) tallmountainof layered material nearcenter.[105] Selected.[13]

Mawrth VallisSite 2

24°01′N341°02′E

−2246 m (−7368.8 ft) Channel carved by catastrophicfloods.[106]

A fourth landing site workshop was held in late September 2010,[107] and the fifth and final workshop May 16–18,2011.[108] On July 22, 2011, it was announced that Gale Crater had been selected as the landing site of the MarsScience Laboratory mission.

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Launch

The MSL launched from Cape Canaveral.

Launch vehicle

The Atlas V launch vehicle is capable of launching up to 7,982 kg(17,600 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit. The Atlas V was also usedto launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the New Horizonsprobe.[4][109]

The first and second stages, along with the solid rocket motors, werestacked on October 9, 2011 near the launch pad.[110] The fairingcontaining MSL was transported to the launch pad on November 3,2011.[111]

Launch event

MSL was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station SpaceLaunch Complex 41 on November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST (15:02UTC) via the Atlas V 541 provided by United Launch Alliance. Thistwo stage rocket includes a 3.8 m (12 ft) Common Core Booster (CCB) powered by a single RD-180 engine, foursolid rocket boosters (SRB), and one Centaur III with a 5 m (16 ft) diameter payload fairing.[112] The NASA LaunchServices Program coordinated the launch via the NASA Launch Services (NLS) I Contract.

Cruise

Cruise stageThe cruise stage carried the MSL spacecraft through the void of space and delivered it to Mars. The interplanetarytrip covered the distance of 352 million miles in 253 days.[113] The cruise stage has its own miniature propulsionsystem, consisting of eight thrusters using hydrazine fuel in two titanium tanks.[114] It also has its own electric powersystem, consisting of a solar array and battery for providing continuous power. Upon reaching Mars, the spacecraftstopped spinning and a cable cutter separated the cruise stage from the aeroshell.[114] Then the cruise stage wasdiverted into a trajectory for burn-up in the atmosphere.[115][116]

Mars transfer orbit

Simulated view of cruise

The MSL spacecraft departed Earth orbit and was inserted into aheliocentric Mars transfer orbit on November 26, 2011, shortly afterlaunch, by the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle.[112]

Prior to Centaur separation, the spacecraft was spin-stabilized at 2 rpmfor attitude control 36,210 kilometres per hour (22,500 mph) cruise toMars.[117]

During cruise, eight thrusters arranged in two clusters were used asactuators to control spin rate and perform axial or lateral trajectorycorrection maneuvers.[30] By spinning about its central axis, itmaintained a stable attitude.[30][118][119] Along the way, the cruisestage performed four trajectory correction maneuvers to adjust the

spacecraft's path toward its landing site.[120] Information was sent to mission controllers via two X-band antennas.[114] A key task of the cruise stage was to control the temperature of all spacecraft systems and dissipate the

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heat generated by power sources, such as solar cells and motors, into space. In some systems, insulating blanketskept sensitive science instruments warmer than the near-absolute zero temperature of space. Thermostats monitoredtemperatures and switched heating and cooling systems on or off as needed.[114]

Entry, descent and landing (EDL)

EDL spacecraft systemLanding a large mass on Mars is particularly challenging as the atmosphere is too thin for parachutes andaerobraking alone to be effective,[121] while remaining thick enough to create stability and impingement problemswhen decelerating with rockets.[121] Although some previous missions have used airbags to cushion the shock oflanding, Curiosity rover is too heavy for this to be an option. Instead, Curiosity was set down on the Martian surfaceusing a new high-accuracy entry, descent, and landing (EDL) system that was part of the MSL spacecraft descentstage. The novel EDL system placed Curiosity within a 20 by 7 km (12 by 4.3 mi) landing ellipse,[92] in contrast tothe 150 by 20 km (93 by 12 mi) landing ellipse of the landing systems used by the Mars Exploration Rovers.[122]

The entry-descent-landing (EDL) system differs from those used for other missions in that it does not require aninteractive, ground-generated mission plan. During the entire landing phase, the vehicle acts autonomously, based onpre-loaded software and parameters.[30] The EDL system was based on a Viking-derived aeroshell structure andpropulsion system for a precision guided entry and soft landing, in contrasts with the airbag landings that were usedby the mid-1990s by the Mars Pathfinder and MER missions. The spacecraft employed several systems in a preciseorder, with the entry, descent and landing sequence broken down into four parts[123][124]—described below as thespaceflight events unfolded on August 6, 2012.

EDL event–August 6, 2012

Martian atmosphere entry events from cruise stage separation toparachute deployment

Despite its late hour, particularly on the east coast ofthe United States, the landing generated significantpublic interest. 3.2 million watched the landing livewith most watching online instead of on television viaNASA TV or cable news networks covering the eventlive.[125] The final landing place for the rover was lessthan 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from its target after a 563,270,400km (350,000,000 mi) journey.[42] In addition tostreaming and traditional video viewing, JPL madeEyes on the Solar System, a 3 dimensional real timesimulation of entry, descent and landing based on realdata. Curiosity's touchdown time as represented in thesoftware, based on JPL predictions, was less than 1second different than reality.[126]

The EDL phase of the MSL spaceflight mission to Mars took only seven minutes and unfolded automatically, asprogrammed by JPL engineers in advance, in a precise order, with the entry, descent and landing sequence occurringin four distinct event phases:[123][124]

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Guided entry

The guided entry is the phase that allowed thespacecraft to steer with accuracy to its planned landing

site

Precision guided entry made use of onboard computing ability tosteer itself toward the pre-determined landing site, improvinglanding accuracy from a range of hundreds of kilometers to 20kilometres (12 mi). This capability helped remove some of theuncertainties of landing hazards that might be present in largerlanding ellipses.[127] Steering was achieved by the combined useof thrusters and ejectable balance masses.[128] The ejectablebalance masses shift the capsule center of mass enablinggeneration of a lift vector during the atmospheric phase. Anavigation computer integrated the measurements to estimate theposition and attitude of the capsule that generated automated

torque commands. This was the first planetary mission to use precision landing techniques.

The rover was folded up within an aeroshell that protected it during the travel through space and during theatmospheric entry at Mars. Ten minutes before atmospheric entry the aeroshell separated from the cruise stage thatprovided power, communications and propulsion during the long flight to Mars. One minute after separation fromthe cruise stage thrusters on the aeroshell fired to cancel out the spacecraft's 2-rpm rotation and achieved anorientation with the heat shield facing Mars in preparation for Atmospheric entry.[129] The heat shield is made ofphenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA). The 4.5 m (15 ft) diameter heat shield, which is the largest heat shieldever flown in space,[130] reduced the velocity of the spacecraft by ablation against the Martian atmosphere, from theatmospheric interface velocity of approximately 5.8 km/s (3.6 mi/s) down to approximately 470 m/s (1,500 ft/s),where parachute deployment was possible about four minutes later. One minute and 15 seconds after entry the heatshield experienced peak temperatures of up to 2,090 °C (3,790 °F) as atmospheric pressure converted kinetic energyinto heat. Ten seconds after peak heating, that deceleration peaked out at 15 g.[129] Much of the reduction of thelanding precision error was accomplished by an entry guidance algorithm, derived from the algorithm used forguidance of the Apollo Command Modules returning to Earth in the Apollo program.[129] This guidance uses thelifting force experienced by the aeroshell to "fly out" any detected error in range and thereby arrive at the targetedlanding site. In order for the aeroshell to have lift, its center of mass is offset from the axial centerline that results inan off-center trim angle in atmospheric flight. This is accomplished by a series of ejectable ballast masses consistingof two 75 kg (170 lb) tungsten weights that were jettisoned minutes before atmospheric entry.[129] The lift vector wascontrolled by four sets of two reaction control system (RCS) thrusters that produced approximately 500 N (110 lbf)of thrust per pair. This ability to change the pointing of the direction of lift allowed the spacecraft to react to theambient environment, and steer toward the landing zone. Prior to parachute deployment the entry vehicle ejectedmore ballast mass consisting of six 25 kg (55 lb) tungsten weights such that the center of gravity offset wasremoved.[129]

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Parachute descent

MSL's parachute is 16 m (52 ft) in diameter.

NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted byNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended

to the surface. August 6, 2012.

When the entry phase was complete and the capsule slowedto Mach 1.7 or 578 m/s (1,900 ft/s) and at about 10 km(6.2 mi), the supersonic parachute deployed,[122][131] as wasdone by previous landers such as Viking, Mars Pathfinderand the Mars Exploration Rovers. The parachute has 80suspension lines, is over 50 m (160 ft) long, and is about16 m (52 ft) in diameter.[131] Capable of being deployed atMach 2.2, the parachute can generate up to 289 kN(65,000 lbf) of drag force in the Martian atmosphere.[131]

After the parachute was deployed, the heat shield separatedand fell away. A camera beneath the rover acquired about 5frames per second (with resolution of 1600×1200 pixels)below 3.7 km (2.3 mi) during a period of about 2 minutesuntil the rover sensors confirmed successful landing.[132] TheMars Reconnaissance Orbiter team were able to acquire animage of the MSL descending under the parachute.[133]

Powered descent

The powered descent stage

Following the parachute braking, at about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) altitude, stilltravelling at about 100 m/s (220 mph), the rover and descent stagedropped out of the aeroshell.[122] The descent stage is a platform abovethe rover with eight variable thrust monopropellant hydrazine rocketthrusters on arms extending around this platform to slow the descent.Each rocket thruster, called a Mars Lander Engine (MLE),[134]

produces 400 N (90 lbf) to 3,100 N (700 lbf) of thrust and were derivedfrom those used on the Viking landers.[135] A radar altimeter measuredaltitude and velocity, feeding data to the rover's flight computer.Meanwhile, the rover transformed from its stowed flight configuration to a landing configuration while beinglowered beneath the descent stage by the "sky crane" system.

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Sky crane landing

Entry events from parachute deployment through powered descentending at sky crane flyaway

Artist's concept of Curiosity being lowered by thesky crane from the rocket-powered descent stage.

For several reasons, a different landing system waschosen for MSL compared to previous Mars landersand rovers. Curiosity was considered too heavy to usethe airbag landing system as used on the MarsPathfinder and Mars Exploration. A legged landerapproach would have caused several designproblems.[129] It would have needed to have engineshigh enough above the ground when landing not toform a dust cloud that could damage the rover'sinstruments. This would have required long landinglegs that would need to have significant width to keepthe center of gravity low. A legged lander would havealso required ramps so the rover could drive down tothe surface, which would have incurred extra risk to themission on the chance rocks or tilt would preventCuriosity from being able to drive off the landersuccessfully. Faced with these challenges, the MSLengineers came up with a novel alternative solution: thesky crane.[129] The sky crane system lowered the roverwith a 7.6 m (25 ft)[129] tether to a softlanding—wheels down—on the surface ofMars.[122][136][137] This system consists of a bridlelowering the rover on three nylon tethers and an

electrical cable carrying information and power between the descent stage and rover. As the support and data cablesunreeled, the rover's six motorized wheels snapped into position. At roughly 7.5 m (25 ft) below the descent stagethe sky crane system slowed to a halt and the rover touched down. After the rover touched down, it waited 2 secondsto confirm that it was on solid ground by detecting the weight on the wheels and fired several pyros (small explosivedevices) activating cable cutters on the bridle and umbilical cords to free itself from the descent stage. The descentstage flew away to a crash landing 650 m (2,100 ft) away.[138] The sky crane powered descent landing system hadnever been used in missions before.[139]

Landing site

The MSL debris field viewed by HiRISE (MRO)on August 17, 2012, sol 11 . The parachute

landed about 615 m (2,018 ft) from the Curiosityrover (3-D: rover [140] & parachute [141])

Gale Crater is the MSL landing site.[11][12][13] Within Gale Crater is amountain, named Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp"),[19][20][143] of layeredrocks, rising about 5.5 km (18,000 ft) above the crater floor, thatCuriosity will investigate. The landing site is a smooth region in"Yellowknife" Quad 51[144][145][146][147] of Aeolis Palus inside thecrater in front of the mountain. The target landing site location was anelliptical area 20 by 7 km (12 by 4.3 mi).[92] Gale Crater's diameter is154 km (96 mi). The landing location for the rover was less than2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the center of the planned landing ellipse, after a563,000,000 km (350,000,000 mi) journey.[148] NASA named therover landing site Bradbury Landing on sol 16, August 22, 2012.[142]

Mars Science Laboratory 15

Curiosity's tracks on first test drive (August 22,2012) "parking" 6.0m from original site

("Bradbury Landing").[142]

Aerial 3-D images of the landing site are available and include: theCuriosity rover [140] and related Parachute [141] (HiRISE, October 10,2012).

Videos

Videos

The MSL launches from CapeCanaveral.

Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror, a NASA video describing thelanding.

Mars Science Laboratory 16

Curiosity's descent to the surface of Gale Crater.

MSL heat shield hitting Martian ground and raising a cloud of dust.

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[114] NASA. "MSL – Cruise Configuration" (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ mission/ spacecraft/ cruiseconfig/ ). JPL. . Retrieved 2012-08-08.[115] "Design and Fabrication of the Cruise Stage Spacecraft for MSL" (http:/ / ieeexplore. ieee. org/ xpl/ login. jsp?tp=& arnumber=4526539&

url=http:/ / ieeexplore. ieee. org/ xpls/ abs_all. jsp?arnumber=4526539). Aerospace Conference, 2008 IEEE. IEEE Explore. March 1–8, 2008.. Retrieved 2012-08-23.

[116] "Follow Curiosity's descent to Mars" (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ multimedia/ interactives/ edlcuriosity/ ). NASA. 2012. . Retrieved2012-08-23. "Animation"

[117] Harwood, William (November 26, 2011). "Mars Science Laboratory begins cruise to red planet" (http:/ / spaceflightnow. com/ atlas/av028/ ). Spaceflight Now. . Retrieved 2012-08-21.

[118] "Mars Science Laboratory: Entry, Descent, and Landing System Performance" (http:/ / ntrs. nasa. gov/ archive/ nasa/ casi. ntrs. nasa. gov/20070016022_2007014175. pdf) (PDF). System and Technology Challenges for Landing on the Earth, Moon, and Mars.

[119] "Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control" (http:/ / www. dsi. unifi. it/ DRIIA/ RaccoltaTesi/ Bacconi. pdf) (PDF). 2006. . Retrieved2012-08-11.

[120] "Status Report – Curiosity's Daily Update" (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ news/ whatsnew/ index. cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1292). NASA. August 6, 2012. . Retrieved 2012-08-13.

[121] "The Mars Landing Approach: Getting Large Payloads to the Surface of the Red Planet" (http:/ / www. universetoday. com/ 2007/ 07/ 17/the-mars-landing-approach-getting-large-payloads-to-the-surface-of-the-red-planet/ ). Universe Today. . Retrieved October 21, 2008.

[122] "Final Minutes of Curiosity's Arrival at Mars" (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/ msl/ multimedia/ gallery/ pia13282. html).NASA/JPL. . Retrieved April 8, 2011.

[123] "Mission Timeline: Entry, Descent, and Landing" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080619055613/ http:/ / marsprogram. jpl. nasa. gov/msl/ mission/ tl_edl. html). NASA and JPL. Archived from the original (http:/ / marsprogram. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ mission/ tl_edl. html) onJune 19, 2008. . Retrieved October 7, 2008.

[124] "Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Triggers" (http:/ / ieeexplore. ieee. org/ stamp/ stamp. jsp?arnumber=04161341).IEEE. . Retrieved October 21, 2008.

[125] Kerr, Dara (August 9, 2012). "Viewers opted for the Web over TV to watch Curiosity's landing" (http:/ / news. cnet. com/8301-1023_3-57489660-93/ viewers-opted-for-the-web-over-tv-to-watch-curiositys-landing/ ). CNET. . Retrieved August 9, 2012.

[126] Ellison, Doug. "MSL Sol 4 breifing" (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=y_FH6PByZeY). YouTube. .[127] "MSL – Guided Entry" (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ mission/ technology/ insituexploration/ edl/ guidedentry/ ). JPL. NASA. 2011. .

Retrieved 2012-08-08.[128] "The RCS Attitude Controller for the Exo-Atmospheric And Guided Entry Phases of the Mars Science Laboratory" (http:/ / www.

planetaryprobe. eu/ IPPW7/ proceedings/ IPPW7 Proceedings/ Papers/ Session5/ p453. pdf) (PDF). Planetary Probe. . Retrieved 2012-08-08.[129] "Curiosity relies on untried 'sky crane' for Mars descent" (http:/ / spaceflightnow. com/ mars/ msl/ 120731skycrane/ ). Spaceflight Now.

July 31, 2012. . Retrieved August 1, 2012.[130] NASA, Large Heat Shield for Mars Science Laboratory (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/ msl/ msl-20090710. html), July 10, 2009

(Retrieved March 26, 2010)[131] "Mars Science Laboratory Parachute Qualification Testing" (http:/ / marsprogram. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ news/ index.

cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews& NewsID=90). NASA/JPL. . Retrieved April 15, 2009.[132] "Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)" (http:/ / msl-scicorner. jpl. nasa. gov/ Instruments/ MARDI/ ). NASA/JPL. . Retrieved December 2,

2009.[133] "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE has done it again!!" (http:/ / www. planetary. org/ blogs/ emily-lakdawalla/ 2012/

08060824-hirise-curiosity-parachute. html). NASA (Planetary Society). August 6, 2012. . Retrieved 2012-08-06.[134] "Mars Science Laboratory: Entry, Descent, and Landing System Performance" (http:/ / ntrs. nasa. gov/ archive/ nasa/ casi. ntrs. nasa. gov/

20090007730_2009006430. pdf). NASA. March 2006. p. 7. .

Mars Science Laboratory 21

[135] "Aerojet Ships Propulsion for Mars Science Laboratory" (http:/ / aerojet. com/ news2. php?action=fullnews& id=135). Aerojet. . RetrievedDecember 18, 2010.

[136] Sky Crane – how to land Curiosity on the surface of Mars (http:/ / blogs. scientificamerican. com/ guest-blog/ 2011/ 11/ 28/sky-crane-how-to-land-curiosity-on-the-surface-of-mars/ ) by Amal Shira Teitel.

[137] "Mars rover lands on Xbox Live" (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ tech/ science/ space/ story/ 2012-07-16/ nasa-mars-rover-game/ 56253212/1). USA Today. July 17, 2012. . Retrieved July 27, 2012.

[138] "Orbiter Images NASA's Martian Landscape Additions" (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/ msl/ news/ msl20120807. html). NASA.August 8, 2012. . Retrieved 2012-08-09.

[139] Sky crane concept video (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=noy8o0lN1fE& feature=related)[140] http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ images/ Rover3D-pia16208-br2. jpg[141] http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ images/ Parachute3D-pia16209-br2. jpg[142] Brown, Dwayne; Cole, Steve; Webster, Guy; Agle, D.C. (August 22, 2012). "NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing"

(http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ home/ hqnews/ 2012/ aug/ HQ_12-292_Mars_Bradbury_Landing. html). NASA. . Retrieved August 22, 2012.[143] NASA Staff (March 27, 2012). "'Mount Sharp' on Mars Compared to Three Big Mountains on Earth" (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/

mission_pages/ msl/ multimedia/ pia15292-Fig2. html). NASA. . Retrieved March 31, 2012.[144] NASA Staff (August 10, 2012). "Curiosity's Quad – IMAGE" (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ multimedia/ images/ ?ImageID=4408).

NASA. . Retrieved August 11, 2012.[145] Agle, DC; Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (August 9, 2012). "NASA's Curiosity Beams Back a Color 360 of Gale Crate" (http:/ / www.

nasa. gov/ mission_pages/ msl/ news/ msl20120809. html). NASA. . Retrieved August 11, 2012.[146] Amos, Jonathan (August 9, 2012). "Mars rover makes first colour panorama" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ news/

science-environment-19201742). BBC News. . Retrieved August 9, 2012.[147] Halvorson, Todd (August 9, 2012). "Quad 51: Name of Mars base evokes rich parallels on Earth" (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ tech/

science/ space/ story/ 2012-08-09/ mars-panorama-curiosity-quad-51/ 56922978/ 1). USA Today. . Retrieved August 12, 2012.[148] "'Impressive' Curiosity landing only 1.5 miles off, NASA says" (http:/ / www. cnn. com/ 2012/ 08/ 10/ us/ mars-curiosity/ index.

html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn). August 14, 2012. . Retrieved August 20, 2012.

Further reading• M. K. Lockwood (2006). "Introduction: Mars Science Laboratory: The Next Generation of Mars Landers And

The Following 13 articles" (http:/ / pdf. aiaa. org/ jaPreview/ JSR/ 2006/ PVJA20678. pdf) (PDF). Journal ofSpacecraft and Rockets (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) 43 (2): 257–257.Bibcode 2006JSpRo..43..257L. doi:10.2514/1.20678.

• Grotzinger, J. P.; Crisp, J.; Vasavada, A. R.; Anderson, R. C.; Baker, C. J.; Barry, R.; Blake, D. F.; Conrad, P. etal. (2012). "Mars Science Laboratory Mission and Science Investigation". Space Science Reviews.doi:10.1007/s11214-012-9892-2.—overview article about the MSL, landing site, and instrumentation

External links• MSL Home Page (http:/ / marsprogram. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ )

• MSL – NASA Updates (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ multimedia/ nasatv/ index. html) – *LIVE* TBA (http:/ /www. nasa. gov/ multimedia/ nasatv/ MM_NTV_Breaking. html) Schedule (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/multimedia/ nasatv/ schedule. html) (NASA-TV) (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ multimedia/ nasatv/ index. html)(NASA-Audio) (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ news/ media/ newsaudio/ index. html)

• MSL – NASA Updates – *REPLAY* Anytime (NASA-YouTube) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/playlist?list=UULA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ)

• MSL – "Curiosity 'StreetView'" (Sol August 2 – 8, 2012) – NASA/JPL – 360º Panorama (http:/ / www.360pano. eu/ show/ ?id=731)

• MSL – "Curiosity Lands" (08/06/2012) – NASA/JPL -Video (03:40) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=zervvVw2dnU)

• MSL – "Curiosity Descent" (August 21, 2012) (sim&real/narrated) – Video (04:06) (http:/ / www. youtube.com/ watch?v=GMsdobLq1-4)

• MSL – "Curiosity Descent" (08/06/2012) (real time/25fps) – Video (01:57) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=fJgeoHBQpFQ)

Mars Science Laboratory 22

• MSL – "Curiosity Descent" (08/06/2012) (all/4fps)- NASA/JPL – Video (03:04) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=VlKW1KG8ies)

• MSL – "Curiosity Descent (HiRise)" (08/06/2012) – NASA/JPL – Image (http:/ / hirise. lpl. arizona. edu/releases/ msl-descent. php)

• MSL – Landing ("7 Minutes of Terror") – NASA/JPL – Video (05:08) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=Ki_Af_o9Q9s)

• MSL – Landing Site – Gale Crater – Animated/Narrated Video (02:37) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=qrxvbRA2xCI)

• MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Animated Video (02:00) (http:/ / youtube. com/watch?v=E37Ss9Tm36c)

• MSL – Mission Summary – Animated/Extended Video (11:20) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=P4boyXQuUIw)

• MSL – Actual Launch (10:02am/est/usa, November 26, 2011) – Video (04:00) (http:/ / www. youtube. com/watch?v=1QCNsKricls#!)

• MSL – Actual Construction – Recorded Video (http:/ / www. ustream. tv/ nasajpl)• MSL – NASA/JPL Virtual Tour – Rover (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ multimedia/ interactives/

photosynth/ )• MSL – NASA/JPL News Channel Videos (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ user/ JPLnews)

• MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Timeline/ieee (http:/ / spectrum. ieee. org/ automaton/ robotics/robotics-hardware/ msl-what-to-expect-on-sunday-night)

• MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Description. (http:/ / acquisition. jpl. nasa. gov/ rfp/ motion-simulator/MSL_EDL_Overview. pdf) (PDF)

• MSL – ChemCam for Classifying Carbonate Minerals on Mars (http:/ / www. camo. com/ downloads/ resources/application_notes/ multivariate-data-analysis-libs-data. pdf) (PDF)

• MSL – Demo (http:/ / www. planetary. org/ blog/ article/ 00001010/ ), reported by The Planetary Society.• MSL – Pre-Launch Preparations at KSC (Hi-Res Images & Spherical Panoramas) (http:/ / nasatech. net/

nasatechCURIOSITY_PAGE. html)• MSL – Media Press Kit (November, 2011) (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ files/ msl/ MSL_Press_Kit. pdf)

(PDF)• MSL – Twitter Account (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ MarsCuriosity)• MSL – Mars program (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ ) + MSL NASA (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/

msl/ index. html) + MSL JPL (http:/ / www. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ ) + Space Images (http:/ / www. jpl. nasa. gov/spaceimages/ search_grid. php?sort=date& q=curiosity) + Image Gallery (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/msl/ multimedia/ gallery-indexEvents. html)

• MSL – Raw Images (http:/ / mars. jpl. nasa. gov/ msl/ multimedia/ raw/ ), Listing by JPL (official)• MSL – Raw Images (http:/ / curiositymsl. com/ ), Listing by Curiositymsl• MSL – Raw Images (http:/ / msl-raw-images. appspot. com/ ), Listing by Appspot

Article Sources and Contributors 23

Article Sources and ContributorsMars Science Laboratory  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=525857866  Contributors: 123465421jhytwretpo98721654, 2001:470:1F05:3AC:ED31:554:76C5:393B, 2001:db8,84user, A2Die, A3 nm, A7x, Aanhorn, Abw1987, Acefox, Acodered, Agonified, Ahecht, Akradecki, Al Lemos, Alanfeld, Alaypj, Albacore, Alchemy pete, Aldaron, AlexPlank, AlexRWilson,AliDincgor, Aliafroz1901, Alternateuniverse6457, Amozoness6, AnandKumria, Anders Feder, AndersFeder, Andy120290, Arancaytar, Arc de Ciel, Arch dude, Arsia Mons, Asephei, AshUtpal,Ashmoo, Askewchan, Avalon97, BPinard, BWOH, BatteryIncluded, Bdell555, Ben MacDui, Ben.larrabee1, BenFrantzDale, Benbest, Bender235, Benhocking, BerserkerBen, Bigturnip, BillC,BlueJaeger, BlueMars, BobDawg, Bongle, Bongwarrior, Braincricket, Breakspirit, Bricktop, Broken Spine, Bruce Hall, BrucePerens, Bryan Derksen, Bubba73, CR31, CTZMSC3, Cablehorn,Cambalachero, Camilo Sanchez, Cap'n Refsmmat, CapeCanaveral321, Captainbeefart, Carmen56, Cattus, Cb6, Cgruda, Chairboy, Chaser, CherryX, ChiZeroOne, ChicXulub, Chowbok, Chris thespeller, ChrisGualtieri, Colincbn, Comfortably Paranoid, Commandandconquergenerals, CommonsDelinker, ComputerHotline, Contorebel, CountRazumovsky, CrunchySkies, DHN,DabMachine, Danfreak, Danim, Dankirkd, Daonguyen95, DarTar, David.Monniaux, Dawnseeker2000, Dcirovic, De728631, Deanolympics, Debresser, Delmlsfan, Deor, DhirajjadhaoNASA,DivineBurner, Doogleface, Drbogdan, Drt1245, DubaiTerminator, Duccio, DulcetTone, Duncan.france, E2eamon, EagerToddler39, Earthandmoon, Echuck215, Edknol, Edoe, EightOeight,Eleassar, Electron9, Eluchil404, Emanuel Kingsley, Emerson7, EngineerFromVega, Epohs, Eregli bob, Eric.LEWIN, EricR, Eumolpo, Evil Monkey, Ewen, Fabius.83, Fanyavizuri, Fartherred,Father Goose, Feureau, Fotaun, Frederico1234, Frietjes, Fuhghettaboutit, Fusion7, Fuzzy901, GFHandel, Gabhala, Gbruin, Gene Nygaard, Geoffrey.landis, Gg3369, Giggett, Giuliopp, Glenn L,Gmaxwell, Gogo Dodo, Gourami Watcher, GrandDrake, Grasshoppa, Grassynoel, Green Cardamom, GregorB, Groink, Ground Zero, Grover cleveland, Gtwfan52, H1nkles, Hamiltondaniel,Havebased123, Headbomb, Hellbus, HiLo48, Hunnjazal, Huntster, Huw Powell, HylandPaddy, I7s, Iamlucky13, IndulgentReader, Ingolfson, Inktvis, Itzcuauhtli, IvanShavruk107, JRThro, JamesPearn, Jbergquist, Jehan60188, Jim.henderson, Jim1138, Jimp, JimsMaher, Jiuguang Wang, Jmcc150, Joema, John, John oh, JohnCD, Johnson487682, Jomsborg, Jonverve, Joseph Solis inAustralia, Jspiacen, Judytuna, Julian Herzog, Jumping cheese, Jwschind, K1100LTO, KGyST, Kaldari, Kalidasa 777, Kanags, Kelisi, Kelvin Case, Kencf0618, Kevinwiatrowski, Kghose,Khvalamde, Kieff, Kimaaron, Kintetsubuffalo, Kitch, Kobbra, Kriceslo, Kungming2, Lancevortex, Larryisgood, Leilmaus, LenFischer, Leptus Froggi, LiDaobing, LilHelpa, LouScheffer,Loukinho, LouriePieterse, Ludostwerff, Lupin, M0rphzone, MBK004, MER-C, Madcio, Maddox1, Makecat, Marasama, Marcus Qwertyus, MarkMysoe, Markus Kuhn, MarsNinja,Marsbound2024, Marsrx, Martarius, MartinSpacek, Mathew5000, MayaSimFan, Mdann52, Meanmeancoffeebean, Mgiganteus1, MichChemGSI, Michael J, MichiHenning, Midtownmonkey55,Mike s, Mimihitam, Miroslav Jícha, Miterdale, Mlindroo, Mlm42, Mogism, Mortenjc, Mortense, Morx, MrOllie, Mrstonky, Ms Mystical, Mschribr, Muboshgu, Murlough23, N2e, N328KF, NSKNikolaos S. Karastathis, Nabokov, Nealmcb, Necessary Evil, Nerylix, NeuronExMachina, Newportm, Nigholith, Nineko, Ninly, Njardarlogar, Nohwave, Nono64, Nrpf22pr, O.Koslowski,Obankston, Ohconfucius, Ohthelameness, Oleg Alexandrov, OliverTwisted, Olli, Opirnia, OptoMechEngineer, Origin7, Originalwana, Orion11M87, PWheelers, Palapa, Panarchy, Patchiman,PaulGS, Pauli133, Phoebe, Pigsonthewing, Pine, Piotrus, Plasticup, Pol098, Pooua, Prajotvireshpatne, Pritombose, Protonk, Python eggs, Qualitypointtech, Qutezuce, RKill, RP88, RPHv,RSStockdale, RackDaddy, RadioFan, Raerdor, RandyRingen, RaptorF22, Raymond Cruise, RedBLACKandBURN, RedWolf, Redrose64, Rehman, Reinoffire01, René Schwarz, Reyk, Rhodesh,Rich Farmbrough, Rich257, Ricnun, Rillian, Rjwilmsi, Rob Pommer, Robert Merkel, Rod57, Roga Danar, RoyBoy, Rreagan007, Rttrttyan, Ruslik0, Russell.challis1999, Sae1962, Samfreed,SarekOfVulcan, Savemaxim, SaxTeacher, Saxifrage, Sccampion, Scholariusx, SchuminWeb, Scrap104, Scruce, Sdsds, Senjuto, Sh*tbucks, Shadow intelligence, Shadowjams, Shiftchange,Shinkolobwe, Shooke, Simon the Likable, SkepticBanner, Skizzik, Sladen, Sleddog116, Smcnair, Soliloquial, Someguy1221, Sonicsuns, SparklingLemonMineralWater, Sparks19, Speciate,Sperril, Spot87, Staticd, Steamroller Assault, Stephanieshipp, Stepheng3, Stone, StuffOfInterest, Supersexyspacemonkey, Surajt88, Svick, Swpb, Sylviaelse, Taed, Techjost, Tedernst, TeemuRuskeepää, TerraFrost, TestPilot, The PIPE, The lost library, TheDJ, Thehistorian10, Theweirdalien, Thine Antique Pen, Thinking of England, Thorenn, ThreeBlindMice, Tim Cox, Tim Parenti,Tony Mach, Toothless68, Tracer9999, Triggerhippie4, Truthanado, Tsuji, Tuvas, USAUSAUSA1, USAUSAUSA3333, Unfriend12, Urhixidur, Usp, Varietyworks, Vegaswikian, ViriiK,WCM70, WDGraham, War, Whbonney, Widders, WikHead, Will.moindrot, Willhsmit, William Avery, William M. Connolley, Wmiwmi, Wolbo, WolfmanSF, Wronkiew, Xession, Yahia.barie,Yaki-gaijin, Ynyrhesolaf, Youngjim, Yushae, ZorkFox, と あ る 白 い 猫, 428 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Mars Science Laboratory mission logo.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mars_Science_Laboratory_mission_logo.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:NASA/JPLFile:Mars and Elysium - GPN-2000-000919.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mars_and_Elysium_-_GPN-2000-000919.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:NASA, Steve Lee University of Colorado, Jim Bell Cornell University,File:PIA16239 High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PIA16239_High-Resolution_Self-Portrait_by_Curiosity_Rover_Arm_Camera.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: User:Julian_HerzogFile:MSL final assembly 2011-7372 .jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSL_final_assembly_2011-7372_.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASA/GlennBensonFile:MSL-spacecraft-exploded-view.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSL-spacecraft-exploded-view.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: AFBorchert, Pline,1 anonymous editsFile:Drawing-of-the-Mars-Science Laboratory.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Drawing-of-the-Mars-Science_Laboratory.png  License: Public Domain Contributors: 84user, Danmichaelo, Pline, Romkur, 1 anonymous editsFile:Goldstone DSN antenna.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Goldstone_DSN_antenna.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Adamantios, Avron, Eastmain,Edward, KudzuVine, Shinka, Werckmeister, 2 anonymous editsFile:673885main PIA15986-full full.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:673885main_PIA15986-full_full.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Fotaun, Huntster,Kohelet, RehmanFile:Gravel-covered martian surface.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gravel-covered_martian_surface.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: RehmanFile:MSL-Cruise Stage Test.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSL-Cruise_Stage_Test.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: JPLFile:Curiosity Cradled by Gale Crater.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Curiosity_Cradled_by_Gale_Crater.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Drbogdan,SvajcrFile:Atlas V 541 into the flight.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Atlas_V_541_into_the_flight.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: U.S. Air Forcephoto/George RobertsFile:MSL cruise stage configuration (PIA14831).png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSL_cruise_stage_configuration_(PIA14831).png  License: Public Domain Contributors: NASA/JPL-CaltechFile:20090428MSLEntry1.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:20090428MSLEntry1.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASA/JPLFile:593419main pia14834-full full Mars Science Laboratory Guided Entry at Mars.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:593419main_pia14834-full_full_Mars_Science_Laboratory_Guided_Entry_at_Mars.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: PlineFile:MSL parachute.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSL_parachute.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASAFile:MRO sees Curiosity landing.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MRO_sees_Curiosity_landing.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Gormo, Huntster, KirillBorisenko, Loadmaster, Longbyte1, Rehman, 1 anonymous editsFile:593472main pia14838 full Curiosity and Descent Stage, Artist's Concept.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:593472main_pia14838_full_Curiosity_and_Descent_Stage,_Artist's_Concept.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: PlineFile:20090428MSLEntry2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:20090428MSLEntry2.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASA/JPLFile:593484main pia14839 full Curiosity's Sky Crane Maneuver, Artist's Concept.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:593484main_pia14839_full_Curiosity's_Sky_Crane_Maneuver,_Artist's_Concept.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Pline, 1 anonymouseditsFile:PIA15696-HiRISE-MSL-Sol11 2 -br2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PIA15696-HiRISE-MSL-Sol11_2_-br2.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:DrbogdanFile:PIA16094-Mars Curiosity Rover-First Drive Tracks.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PIA16094-Mars_Curiosity_Rover-First_Drive_Tracks.jpg  License:Public Domain  Contributors: Drbogdan, O'DeaFile:Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror.ogv  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Curiosity's_Seven_Minutes_of_Terror.ogv  License: Public Domain  Contributors: DrLee,Julia W, Kirill Borisenko, Paris 16, と あ る 白 い 猫

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 24

File:Curiosity's descent in high-definition.ogv  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Curiosity's_descent_in_high-definition.ogv  License: Public Domain  Contributors:Rehman, TúrelioFile:Curiosity heat-shield landing on Mars - MRO.ogv  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Curiosity_heat-shield_landing_on_Mars_-_MRO.ogv  License: Public Domain Contributors: Rehman

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