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Mars Operations Status

Reference Information

Assembly, Test and Launch

Mars Science Laboratory

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Three Generations of Mars Rovers at JPL

Curiosity and Spirit/Opportunity test rovers are shown with the Mars Pathfinder flight spare rover (first to operate on Mars in July 1997) at the Mars Yard testing area at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. Curiosity is about the size of a small SUV - 10 ft long (not including the arm), 9 ft wide and 7 ft tall, and weighs about 2,000 lbs on Earth.

Sojourner Flight Spare

Spirit/OpportunityTest Rover

Curiosity Test Rover

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Curiosity Rover Mobility Testing at JPL

This photograph of the Curiosity rover was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011 inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. The rover was shipped to Kennedy Space Center, FL in late June 2011.

The back shell powered descent vehicle, containing the Curiosity rover is being placed on the spacecraft's heat shield at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL. The heat shield and the spacecraft's back shell form an encapsulating aeroshell that will protect the rover from the intense heat that will be generated as the flight system descends through the Martian atmosphere.

Curiosity's Heat Shield and Back Shell ConnectedBack Shell Powered Descent Vehicle

Heat Shield

Curiosity Rover

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MSL

MSL Assembled into Atlas V Payload FairingSections of an Atlas V rocket payload fairing enclose the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL. The two halves of the fairing come together protecting the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent.

The blocks on the interior of the fairing are the acoustic protection system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff.

Atlas V Payload Fairing (2 Sections)

Launch Vehicle Adapter

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The Atlas V rocket Payload Fairing containing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft is lifted up the side of the Vertical Integration Facility on November 3, 2011.

The payload fairing was subsequently attached to the Atlas V already stacked inside the facility.

MSL Spacecraft with Curiosity Rover in Payload Fairing

Atlas V Solid Rocket Motors (4 Places)

Atlas V CoreStage

CentaurUpperStage

MSL Spacecraft Stack-up on Atlas V

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MSL/Curiosity Rover LaunchThe United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on November 26, 2011 with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover.

Credit: United Launch Alliance

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1. During the MSL spacecraft cruise phase, the vehicle is propelled from Earth to final approach to Mars. The spacecraft includes a disc-shaped cruise stage attached to the aeroshell. The Curiosity rover and descent stage are tucked inside the aeroshell. Along the way to Mars, the cruise stage will perform several trajectory correction maneuvers to adjust the spacecraft's path toward its final, precise landing site on Mars.

2. The cruise stage is jettisoned before atmospheric entry. The mission's approach phase begins 45 minutes before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. It lasts until the spacecraft enters the atmosphere.

3. The mission's entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase begins when the spacecraft with a velocity of about 13,200 miles per hour reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere about 81 miles above the surface. The friction with the Martian atmosphere slows the spacecraft's descent and heats the heat shield. This friction with the atmosphere before the opening of the spacecraft's parachute will accomplish more than nine-tenths of the deceleration of the EDL phase.

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Spacecraft1.

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4. After a 51 ft diameter parachute deploys, the MSL spacecraft’s heat shield is jettisoned. The parachute is attached to the top of the backshell portion of the spacecraft's aeroshell. The spacecraft's descent stage and the Curiosity rover can be seen inside the backshell. When the backshell drops away, a radar system on the descent stage begins determining the spacecraft's altitude and velocity.

5. The descent stage controls its own rate of descent with four of its eight rocket engines and begins lowering Curiosity on a bridle. The rover is connected to the descent stage by three nylon tethers and by a power and communication umbilical.

6. The descent stage’s bridle extends to a full length of about 25 ft as the stage continues descending. Seconds later, when touchdown is detected, the bridle is cut at the rover end, and the descent stage flies off to stay clear of Curiosity’s landing site. The rover will study whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and preserving clues about whether life existed.

MSL Spacecraft and Curiosity Rover4.

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Curiosity RoverChemCam

Mastcam

REMS

APXS &MAHLI

Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

Note: CheMin and SAM are inside the rover. Only visible instruments are labeled.

Robot Arm

Organic Check Material

Observation Tray

Drill Bit BoxesUltra-High

Frequency Antenna

MSL Descends to Martian Surface

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MSL and its parachute are in the center of the white box; the inset image is a cutout of the MSL (bottom) and the parachute. The heat shield had jettisoned prior to the time that the picture was taken. The MRO High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera captured this image while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from MSL.

August 6, 2012 - The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with the Curiosity rover and its parachute were photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as the spacecraft descended through the Martian atmosphere to its landing site.

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First Look from Curiosity on MarsAugust 6, 2012 - The image is one of the first that Curiosity captured shortly after the rover landed on Mars.

Rising up in the distance is the tallest peak of Mount Sharp at a height of about 3.4 miles, higher than Mount Whitney in California. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think holds clues to past environmental change. Two of Curiosity’s front wheels can be seen in the left and right foreground. The image was taken by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution.

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First Panorama of Gale Crater in ColorAugust 8, 2012 - Curiosity takes the first panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site.

Scientists will be taking a closer look at several splotches in the foreground that appear gray. These areas show the effects of the descent stage's rocket engines blasting the ground. The soil was blown away by the thrusters; the excavation of the soil reveals probable bedrock outcrops. Curiosity can be seen along the bottom of this mosaic. The color images also reveal additional shades of reddish brown around the dunes, likely indicating different textures or materials.

The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera. The images in this panorama were brightened in the processing. Mars only receives half the sunlight Earth does and this image was taken in the late Martian afternoon.

Replace with JPL image when available adding text and websites.Change Ref Info when available.

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MSL Status (as of August 7, 2012)

The four main pieces of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) that arrived on Mars with the Curiosity rover on August 6, 2012 were spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The heat shield was the first piece to hit the ground, followed by the back shell attached to the parachute, then the rover touched down, and finally, after the cables were cut, the sky crane flew away to the northwest and crashed. Gale Crater with Mount Sharp is north of Curiosity. The MRO High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera captured this image about 24 hours after the landing.

Early estimates indicate Curiosity touched down about 1 and 1/2 miles from the point it was targeting, well within the predicted 4 by 12 mile landing ellipse footprint.

Before Curiosity's geological fieldwork begins, engineers will carefully check out the rover's systems and its instruments and cameras.

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Reference InformationEnd

Images:Courtesy of NASA, NASA/JPL-Caltech, Cornell University and noted

Text:http://marsrover.nasa.gov/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://www.nasa.gov/http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://spaceflightnow.com/http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://www.ne.doe.gov/

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MSL Atlas V Launch Vehicle The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 vehicle was selected for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission because it had the right liftoff capability for the heavy weight requirements, and rockets in the same family have successfully lifted NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and New Horizons missions. Atlas V rockets are expendable launch vehicles meaning they are only used once. The numbers in the 541 designation signify a payload fairing that is approximately 5 meters (16.4 ft) in diameter; 4 solid-rocket boosters fastened alongside the central common core booster; and a one-engine Centaur upper stage.

The major elements of the Atlas V-541 rocket that will be used for the MSL mission are: Core Stage - includes the fuel and oxygen tanks that feed an engine for the ascent and powers the spacecraft into Earth orbit. Solid Rocket Motors - 4 motors increase engine thrust during ascent. Upper Stage - a Centaur upper stage with fuel and oxidizer and the vehicle's “brains.” It fires twice, once to insert the vehicle-spacecraft stack into low Earth orbit and then again to accelerate the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and on its way towards Mars. Payload Fairing - a thin composite or nose cone protects the spacecraft during the ascent through Earth's atmosphere.

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Curiosity Rover - Page 1 of 3 Engineering cameras: Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) - four pairs of black and white cameras, mounted on the lower portion of the rover (front and rear), capture 3-D imagery that safeguards against Curiosity getting lost or inadvertently crashing into unexpected obstacles. Navigation Cameras (Navcams) - two pairs of black and white cameras are mounted on the rover mast to gather panoramic, 3-D imagery that supports ground navigation planning by scientists and engineers. The Navcams work in cooperation with the Hazcams to provide a complementary view of the terrain.

Primary science cameras: Mast Camera (Mastcam) - a two camera system that takes color images and color video footage of the terrain. Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) - a camera that provides close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust. Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) - a camera that produces a video stream of high-resolution, overhead views of the landing site. It will continue acquiring images until the rover lands, storing the video data in digital memory. The MARMDI also provides information about the surrounding the landing site.

Primary science instruments: Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) - measures the abundance of chemical elements in rocks and soils. Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) - a spectrometer that looks at rocks and soils from a distance, firing a laser and analyzing the elemental composition of the vaporized materials from very small areas on the surface of rocks and soils.

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Curiosity Rover - Page 2 of 3 Primary science instruments (Continued): Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) - a suite of three instruments that searches for compounds of the element carbon, including methane, that are associated with life and explores ways they are generated and destroyed in the Martian ecosphere. Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) - measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the surface, such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays. Dynamics of Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) - a pulsing neutron generator is sensitive enough to detect very low water content and resolve layers of water and ice beneath the surface. Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) - identifies and measures the abundances of various minerals on Mars. Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) - measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on atmospheric pressure, humidity, ultraviolet radiation at the surface, wind speed and direction, air temperature, and ground temperature around the rover. MSL Entry, Descent and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) - collects engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere. The data will help engineers design systems for entry into the Martian atmosphere that are safer, more reliable, and lighter weight.

Miscellaneous components: Organic Check Material (OCM) - five bricks of OCM are mounted in canisters on the front of the rover that are used to assess the characteristics of organic contamination at five different times during the mission.

- Steps have been taken to ensure that measurements of soil and rocks on Mars do not contain terrestrial contaminants; however, a slight amount of contamination may be present.

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Curiosity Rover - Page 3 of 3 Miscellaneous components (Continued): Robot Arm (RA) - the arm extends the rover’s reach and collects rock and soil samples.

- Much like a human arm, the 7.5 ft robotic arm has flexibility through the shoulder, elbow and wrist (5 degrees-of-freedom). - At the end of the arm is a turret, shaped like a cross. This turret, a hand-like structure, holds 5 devices that can spin through a 350 degree turning range.

-- The 5 turret-mounted devices include a drill, brush, soil scoop, sample processing device, and the mechanical and electrical interfaces to the two contact science instruments APXS and MAHLI.

--- The drill is capable of exchanging bits with the extra spare bits located in Bit Boxes. Observation Tray - soil and rock samples that have passed through the 150-micron sieve of CHIMRA can be deposited on the tray and observed by the APXS and MAHLI.- The CHIMRA (Collection and Handling for Interior Martian Rock Analysis), located on the arm turret, sieves and portions the samples from the scoop and the drill which are then distributed to the analytical instruments, SAM and CheMin. Instrument Inlet Covers - deck mounted covers near the front protect the SAM and CheMin solid sample inlets from being contaminated by particulates from the atmosphere or rover deck. Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) - produces the rover’s electricity from the heat of plutonium-238’s radioactive decay.

- Solid-state thermocouples convert the heat energy to electricity.

- Warm fluids heated by the generator’s excess heat are plumbed throughout the rover to keep electronics and other systems at acceptable operating temperatures.

- The MMRTG will provide reliable power to operate the Curiosity rover for at least one Martian year or 687 Earth days.

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Curiosity Rover Timeline November 26, 2011 - Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. August 6, 2012 - Curiosity lands in Gale Crater.- The rover touched down well within the targeted landing area. - The landing site is near the 3.4 mile high Mount Sharp located in Gale Crater.