Congratulations to NASA and JPL team for the safe landing of the Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory.
Mission Information courtesy JPL/NASA:
Mission name: Mars Science Laboratory
Rover name: Curiosity rover
Size: About the size of a small SUV — 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall — (about 3 meters long (not including the arm), 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall), or about the height of a basketball player.
Arm Reach: About 7 feet (2.2 meters)
Weight: 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds)
Features: Geology lab, rocker-bogie suspension, rock-vaporizing laser and lots of cameras
Mission: To search areas of Mars for past or present conditions favorable for life, and conditions capable of preserving a record of life
Launch:
7:02 a.m. PST, Nov. 26, 2011
(10:02 a.m. EST)Landing:
10:31 p.m. PDT, Aug. 5, 2012
(1:31 a.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2012)Length of mission on Mars: The prime mission will last one Mars year or about 23 Earth months.
Image courtesy JPL/NASA. Click to enlarge