NASA Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation [HDx1280]

Mars Share 6 - The Mars Curiosity Rover -

This is perhaps the most sophisticated Rover ever to land on Planet Mars! For that reason, I have chosen to Post this Mission to our RP members as a tool to aid in their understanding of our Planet Mars and the discoveries that are being made! The Physics of the Mission alone is absolutely mind boggling and you will see that in the NASA/JPL Laboratory detailed animation, the likes of which, you may never have witnessed!!! Watch Full Screen, Sound up for best viewing and listening experience! Enjoy, my RP brothers and sisters!

Here are some basic mission facts:
Acronym: MSL, Type: Lander/Rover, Status: Current
Launch Date: November 26, 2011
10:02 a.m. EST (15:02 UTC)
Launch Location: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Landing Date: August 06, 2012 - 05:32 UTC
Target: Mars, Destination: Gale Crater, Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory mission's Curiosity rover, the most technologically advanced rover ever built, landed in Mars' Gale Crater the evening of August 5, 2012 PDT (morning of August 6 EDT) using a series of complicated landing maneuvers never before attempted. The specialized landing sequence, which employed a giant parachute, a jet-controlled descent vehicle and a bungee-like apparatus called a "sky crane," was devised because tested landing techniques used during previous rover missions could not safely accommodate the much larger and heavier rover.

Curiosity's mission is to determine whether the Red Planet ever was, or is, habitable to microbial life. The rover, which is about the size of a MINI Cooper, is equipped with 17 cameras and a robotic arm containing a suite of specialized laboratory-like tools and instruments.

Scientific Instrument(s)
- Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)
- Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam)
- Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
- Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin)
- Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN)
- Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)
- Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
- Mast Camera (Mastcam)
- Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)
- Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)