New Mars rover by the numbers
Astrobiology, the study of environments beyond Earth and the possibility that life may have been supportable there, is a young science. It crosses biology, astronomy and since much of it's raw data currently lies within rock and soil geology. Curiosity, the NASA rover which will arrive the morning of August 6, is uniquely equipped to help scientists determine whether or not life could have gained a foothold on Mars.
Posted — UpdatedThe Mars Science Lab will reach its destination early Sunday morning.
- 154,235,500 miles separating Earth and Mars
- 500,000 lines of computer code
- 65,000 pounds, the parachute is designed to withstand
- 13,200 miles per hour, speed of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) as it enters the Martian atmosphere
- 1,982 pounds, weight of the rover
- 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, temperature the heat shield reaches during entry
- 165 pounds of scientific instruments aboard the rover 100% thinner, Mars atmosphere vs. Earth's
- 10 G's the amount of force parachute deployment will put on the spacecraft
- 76 pyrotechnic devices separating the 6 stages
- 13 minutes 38 seconds, time required for light and radio signals to travel from Mars to Earth
- 8.5 months to reach Mars since MSL's launch last November
- 8 rocket thrusters slowing the rover as it nears the surface
- 7 minutes, time the landing takes from the top of the atmosphere to the surface
- 5 frames per second, the camera on the bottom of the rover will be recording during the descent
- 4 miles, the width of the landing ellipse being targeted.
- 2 Earth years, length of MSL's primary mission
- 2 GB of flash memory for photos and other data awaiting transmission to Earth
- 0 margin for error
Audiences at NASA centers around the country will watch those numbers tick by. Here in the Triangle, two events are planned to celebrate this edge-of-your-seat landing.
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