Mars Science Laboratory Launch; Press Kit November 2011

63, [1] pages. Illustrations. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a human mission to Mars. The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team. Contents include Media Services Information; Quick Facts; Mars at a Glance: Mars Science Laboratory Investigations; Mission Overview; Comparing Two Mars Rover Projects; Spacecraft; Mars Science Laboratory Landing Site; Recent, Current and Upcoming Missions; Mars Science: A Story of Changes; Historical Mars Missions; and Program/Project Management. For several reasons, a different landing system was chosen for MSL compared to previous Mars landers and rovers. Curiosity was considered too heavy to use the airbag landing system as used on the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rovers. The MSL engineers came up with a novel alternative solution: the sky crane. The sky crane system lowered the rover with a 25 ft tether to a soft landing—wheels down—on the surface of Mars. This system consists of a bridle lowering the rover on three nylon tethers and an electrical cable carrying information and power between the descent stage and rover. As the support and data cables unreeled, the rover's six motorized wheels snapped into position. At roughly 25 ft below the descent stage the sky crane system slowed to a halt and the rover touched down. After the rover touched down, it waited two seconds to confirm that it was on solid ground by detecting the weight on the wheels and fired several pyros (small explosive devices) activating cable cutters on the bridle and umbilical cords to free itself from the descent stage. The descent stage then flew away to a crash landing 2,100 ft away. The sky crane concept had never been used in missions before. Xerox-style reproduction. Assumed to be one of only a few produced for media representatives.…