CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer, NASA's Curiosity rover, rocketed toward Mars on Saturday on a search for evidence that the red planet might once have been home to itsy-bitsy life.
It will take 8 1/2 months for Curiosity to reach Mars following a journey of 354 million miles.
An unmanned Atlas V rocket hoisted the rover, officially known as Mars Science Laboratory, into a cloudy late morning sky. A Mars frenzy gripped the launch site, with more than 13,000 guests jamming the space center for NASA's first launch to Earth's next-door neighbor in four years, and the first send-off of a Martian rover in eight years. . . .
Showing posts with label Mars Science Laboratory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mars Science Laboratory. Show all posts
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
VIDEO | Mars Curiosity: The 'Super Bowl' of Space Quests
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory is the largest, most scientifically capable spacecraft ever destined for the surface of another planet. Its Curiosity rover can travel miles rather than meters, and it’s equipped to determine whether Mars is, or ever could have been, a planetary harbor for primitive life.
INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: History of U.S. Mars exploration
But the spacecraft also is two years late and almost a billion dollars over budget. Its scheduled launch this week comes at a time when NASA — still struggling to find its way after the retirement of America’s iconic shuttle fleet — is anxious to exhibit its technological competence and prowess.
So failure is not an option. . . .
INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: History of U.S. Mars exploration
But the spacecraft also is two years late and almost a billion dollars over budget. Its scheduled launch this week comes at a time when NASA — still struggling to find its way after the retirement of America’s iconic shuttle fleet — is anxious to exhibit its technological competence and prowess.
So failure is not an option. . . .