The $2.5 billion rover, also known as the Mars Science Laboratory, is slated to attempt an unprecedented landing procedure on Mars on the night of Aug. 5.
Curiosity is too large to use airbags to cushion its landing. Instead, the rover – which, at approximately 1 ton, will weigh about 760 pounds (345 kilograms) in Martian gravity – will descend to the Martian surface using a complex rocket-powered sky crane system, which relies on precise mechanics and timing.
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Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:35 pm