NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity: Historic Landing

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With Mars looming ever larger in front of it, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft and its Curiosity rover are in the final stages of preparing for entry, descent and landing on the Red Planet at 10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT Aug. 6, 5:31 a.m. UTC Aug. 6, 6:31 a.m. BST Aug. 6, 7:31 a.m. CEST Aug. 6).

Curiosity remains in good health with all systems operating as expected. Today, the flight team uplinked and confirmed commands to make minor corrections to the spacecraft's navigation reference point parameters. This afternoon, as part of the onboard sequence of autonomous activities leading to the landing, catalyst bed heaters are being turned on to prepare the eight Mars Lander Engines that are part of MSL's descent propulsion system.

As of 2:25 p.m. PDT (5:25 p.m. EDT), MSL was approximately 261,000 miles (420,039 kilometers) from Mars, closing in at a little more than 8,000 mph (about 3,600 meters per second).

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The gravitational tug of Mars is now pulling NASA's car-size geochemistry laboratory, Curiosity, in for a suspenseful landing in less than 12 hours.

"After flying more than eight months and 350 million miles since launch, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is now right on target to fly through the eye of the needle that is our target at the top of the Mars atmosphere," said Mission Manager Arthur Amador of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The spacecraft is healthy and on course for delivering the mission's Curiosity rover close to a Martian mountain at 10:31 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5 PDT (1:31 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6 EDT). That's the time a signal confirming safe landing could reach Earth, give or take about a minute for the spacecraft's adjustments to sense changeable atmospheric conditions.

The only way a safe-landing confirmation can arrive during that first opportunity is via a relay by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Curiosity will not be communicating directly with Earth as it lands, because Earth will set beneath the Martian horizon from Curiosity's perspective about two minutes before the landing.

"We are expecting Odyssey to relay good news," said Steve Sell of the JPL engineering team that developed and tested the mission's complicated "sky crane" landing system. "That moment has been more than eight years in the making."

A dust storm in southern Mars being monitored by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter appears to be dissipating. "Mars is cooperating by providing good weather for landing," said JPL's Ashwin Vasavada, deputy project scientist for Curiosity.

Curiosity was approaching Mars at about 8,000 mph (about 3,600 meters per second) Saturday morning. By the time the spacecraft hits the top of Mars' atmosphere, about seven minutes before touchdown, gravity will accelerate it to about 13,200 mph (5,900 meters per second).

NASA plans to use Curiosity to investigate whether the study area has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life.

"In the first few weeks after landing, we will be ramping up science activities gradually as we complete a series of checkouts and we gain practice at operating this complex robot in Martian conditions," said JPL's Richard Cook, deputy project manager for Curiosity.

The first Mars pictures expected from Curiosity are reduced-resolution fisheye black-and-white images received either in the first few minutes after touchdown or more than two hours later. Higher resolution and color images from other cameras could come later in the first week. Plans call for Curiosity to deploy a directional antenna on the first day after landing and raise the camera mast on the second day.

The big hurdle is landing. Under some possible scenarios, Curiosity could land safely, but temporary communication difficulties could delay for hours or even days any confirmation that the rover has survived landing.

The prime mission lasts a full Martian year, which is nearly two Earth years. During that period, researchers plan to drive Curiosity partway up a mountain informally called Mount Sharp. Observations from orbit have identified exposures there of clay and sulfate minerals that formed in wet environments.

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Tags: curiosity mars rover nasa science laboratory landing mission project spacecraft odyssey reconnaissance orbiter spirit frist pictures videos gale crater surface crash atmosphere red planet
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[Wonkabar]

Really hope Curiosity makes it onto the Martian surface safely.

[moltenmatty]

Wow, I am amazed at the trouble it takes to land just one ton on Mars. Such a challenge!

[nsg]

I bet people in egypt would love this place

[kingcobra]

NASA remains grateful to Indian Space Agency for helping them with the mars mission which otherwise would have remained a distant dream. NASA looks forward working under the guidance of Indian Space Agency for all their future endeavors.

[limbus_patrum]

Yes, I use add-on to my browser that do it for me. For me (central Europe) it will be in 7:31 on Monday (7:31 UTC+1 / 06.05.2012).

[greagandev]

Congratulations!!!! To all of the people who worked so hard to make it happen. Thank you! You are truly fantastic.

[Jarmo]

I remember watching launch live from NASA TV. I hope everything goes well at landing also!!

[DarkVader]

So much progress since the first ever landing on Mars by the Soviet Union in 1971 (Mars Lander) to the US doing it in 1976 (Viking mission) and now this. Inspiring.

[palis]

8:16 Amazing
we all lucky to witness this.

[onenewshoe]

Hopefully everything will work fine and we'll get a huge amount of information. Good luck Nasa!

[kasjonc]

I am so proud of what all of you have done. Look forward to the updates now that you've achieved this much!

[mjintegrale]

As just an observer of science & not an expert this is very difficult to get my head around.It is truely amazing & proves to me that science is the answer & the way forward.I feel science should never take itself for granted but we should all embrace it.

[WhereJohnFrum]

I'm glad to see that someone else is willing to just be honest and accept the universe for what it is instead of making up stories and pretending to know things that he cannot possibly know. Thanks for the comment!

[GuiltySpark]

incredible! Hope the rover makes it tonight, i cannot wait!

[edgyomellete]

Hello Martians! We come in peace. We are Americ-
(sniff) (sniff?
I SMELL OIL!

[darkroxas]

This was an incredibly spectacular feat of engineering. Can only imagine the years of hard work and strenuous testing that went into this project. Its projects like these that fuel my lifelong dream for humanity to delve into space exploration. Thank you NASA!

[locolombia]

two dislikes ??? how could you dislike this video this is history good job NASA this is something to be proud of!!!!

[Elburion]

Nothing would make me prouder in humanity than a joint effort to one day see a colony on Mars.

[kokofan]

Because this is the coolest thing to ever land on Mars, and how it lands is kind of crazy.

[ddrifter]

It's so incredible to think all these technology is available today. I love this stuff!