💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 3016.gmi captured on 2021-12-05 at 23:47:19. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
54 mins ago
PASADENA, Calif. NASA engineers are putting the finishing touches on a
mega-rover to Mars before shipping it off to Florida for launch later this
year.
A small army of technicians dressed in protective bunny suits has been working
around the clock inside a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los
Angeles assembling the craft, called Curiosity, and testing its science
instruments.
The $2.5 billion mission was supposed to launch in 2009, but problems during
construction forced a two-year delay.
With launch scheduled for late November, engineers have been busy testing the
spacecraft's various systems all the while making sure that contamination
from Earth doesn't accidentally hitch a ride to Mars.
The nuclear-powered Curiosity the size of a small SUV will probe rocks and
soil to determine whether the red planet ever had the right environment to
support primitive life. It will carry the most high-tech instruments to the
Martian surface including a laser that can zap boulders from afar.
To the dismay of some space fans, Curiosity won't carry a high-resolution 3-D
camera that "Avatar" director James Cameron was helping to build. NASA recently
nixed it because there wasn't enough time to fully test the zoom lens before
launch.
Scientists expect Curiosity to build on the discoveries of the twin rovers
Spirit and Opportunity, which have uncovered geologic evidence of ancient water
and the Phoenix lander, which found ice at its Martian north pole landing site.
Curiosity's road to the launch pad has been bumpy. Engineers had to redesign
the rover's heat shield and fix problems with the parachute. NASA also faced
delivery delays from subcontractors that affected the launch timetable and
raised the mission price tag.
Part of the reason why Curiosity is so technically challenging is because NASA
has never built such an advanced rover before.
While the cruise to Mars and descent through the fiery atmosphere are similar
to past missions, NASA is testing a brand-new technology for landing.
Instead of using airbags to bounce to a stop, the 2,000-pound Curiosity will be
gently lowered to the surface by a sky crane.
NASA will begin shipping spacecraft parts to Cape Canaveral beginning next
month. The three-week launch window opens on Nov. 25.
In preparation for launch, Curiosity has been on a publicity blitz.
NASA last October installed a camera in a viewing gallery overlooking the clean
room that allows anyone with a computer to watch a live stream of the rover
construction. There's no audio feed, but the space agency hosts periodic online
chats with viewers to explain what's going on.
Curiosity also has its own Twitter feed with more than 29,000 followers