Mars Science Laboratory (nonfiction)
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In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all elements of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission have come together. The top portion is the cruise stage, next, the aeroshell, (containing the compact car-sized rover Curiosity), and on the bottom, the heat shield.
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011.
On January 11, 2012, the spacecraft successfully refined its trajectory with a three-hour series of thruster-engine firings, advancing the rover's landing time by about 14 hours.
The rover, Curiosity, landed in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012.
The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a manned mission to Mars.
The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.
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External links:
- Mars Science Laboratory @ Wikipedia
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