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 8/3/2012, 4:33:33 AM

Mars rover Curiosity — The Mars rover Curiosity uses the largest parachute designed for planetary use (Photo credit: NASA/JPL)

By Tony Rice

The Mars Science Lab will reach its destination early Sunday morning.

Engineers and scientists who have devoted years of their lives along with audiences at Mars events worldwide will experience "7 minutes of terror" as they await word from the rover after its 7-minute, unassisted trip to the surface of Mars. It seems fitting to frame that time with some of the other numbers, big and small, that bring us to that moment.

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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.

The Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill is hosting a free Mars event beginning at 1:30 p.m. Talks include the history of Mars exploration and Martian geology, along with activities for younger explorers.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will host an event starting at midnight (doors open at 11:30 p.m.) In addition to talks on the mission, the rover and its capabilities, the event will conclude with live views of the landing from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. It will also be broadcast live via NASA TV.

Credits

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