Open AccessCuriosity on the way to Mars
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2011eo490003
Subject(s) - mars exploration program , mars landing , curiosity , astrobiology , exploration of mars , life on mars , aeronautics , planet , destinations , environmental science , engineering , geography , martian , archaeology , psychology , physics , astronomy , social psychology , tourism
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which includes the Curiosity rover, successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 26 November. Soon after its planned 6 August 2012 landing at the foot of a mountain inside the 96‐kilometer‐diameter Gale crater, the rover will study whether that region of Mars offers any evidence of past and present environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. “We are very excited about sending the world's most advanced scientific laboratory to Mars,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden said. “MSL will tell us critical things we need to know about Mars, and while it advances science, we'll be working on the capabilities for a human mission to the Red Planet and to other destinations where we've never been.”