• NASA to launch Curiosity rover 10:02 a.m. EST Saturday. - Watch live.
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[b]LAUNCHED[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/wdU9X.jpg[/img] [release]PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is tucked inside its Atlas V rocket, ready for launch on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Nov. 26 launch window extends from 7:02 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. PST (10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST). The launch period for the mission extends through Dec. 18. The spacecraft, which will arrive at Mars in August 2012, is equipped with the most advanced rover ever to land on another planet. Named Curiosity, the rover will investigate whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life, and favorable for preserving clues about whether life existed. On Nov. 26, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 4:30 a.m. PST (7:30 a.m. EST). Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels. For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit: [url]http://www.nasa.gov/ntv[/url] .
 The launch coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at [url]http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl[/url] . If the spacecraft lifts off at the start of the launch window on Nov. 26, the following milestones are anticipated. Times would vary for other launch times and dates. [b]Launch[/b] --The rocket's first-stage common core booster, and the four solid rocket boosters, will ignite before liftoff. Launch, or "T Zero", actually occurs before the rocket leaves the ground. The four solid rocket boosters jettison at launch plus one minute and 52 seconds. [b]Fairing Separation[/b] --The nose cone, or fairing, carrying Mars Science Laboratory will open like a clamshell and fall away at about three minutes and 25 seconds after launch. After this, the rocket's first stage will cut off and then drop into the Atlantic Ocean. [b]Parking Orbit[/b] --The rocket's second stage, a Centaur engine, is started for the first time at about four minutes and 38 seconds after launch. After it completes its first burn of about 7 minutes, the rocket will be in a parking orbit around Earth at an altitude that varies from 102 miles (165 kilometers) to 201 miles (324 kilometers). It will remain there from 14 to 30 minutes, depending on the launch date and time. If launch occurs at the beginning of the launch Nov. 26 launch window, this stage will last about 21 minutes. [b]On the Way to Mars[/b] -- The second Centaur burn, continuing for nearly 8 minutes (for a launch at the opening of the Nov. 26 launch window), lofts the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and sends it toward Mars. [b]Spacecraft Separation[/b] --Mars Science Laboratory will separate from the rocket that boosted it toward Mars at about 44 minutes after launch, if launch occurs at the opening of the Nov. 26 window. Shortly after that, the separated Centaur performs its last task, an avoidance maneuver taking itself out of the spacecraft's flight path to avoid hitting either the spacecraft or Mars. [b]Sending a Message of Good Health[/b] --Once the spacecraft is in its cruise stage toward Mars, it can begin communicating with Earth via an antenna station in Canberra, Australia, part of NASA's Deep Space Network. Engineers expect to hear first contact from the spacecraft at about 55 minutes after launch and assess the spacecraft's health during the subsequent 30 minutes. The spacecraft will arrive at the Red Planet Aug. 6, 2012, Universal Time (evening of Aug. 5, 2012, PDT). NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Launch management is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Atlas V launch service is provided by United Launch Alliance, Denver.[/release] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4boyXQuUIw[/media] NASA TV stream - [url]http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html[/url] [b]MSL Liftoff:[/b] [url]http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=18895&media_id=122054061[/url] [b]MSL Separation:[/b] [url]http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=18895&media_id=122054061[/url]
I've been looking forward to this.
[QUOTE=farmatyr;33434411]I've been looking forward to this.[/QUOTE] Are you serious? Man, I wish this stuff were more publicized..
[QUOTE=Errorproxy;33434517]Are you serious? Man, I wish this stuff were more publicized..[/QUOTE] It's gone from important missions being broadcasted on the national news, to only getting a mention after or before launch and a quick video of it. This country care's more about what the Kardashians are doing than historical space launches. You almost have to look this stuff up yourself. That's why I posted this with the launch being hours away still. I wanted everyone to get a chance to hear about it and see it live.
What's cool about it is that it's nuclear. No more dusty solar panels.
[QUOTE=farmatyr;33434584]What's cool about it is that it's nuclear. No more dusty solar panels.[/QUOTE] And they made it's wheels much bigger than before so that it doesn't get stuck like Spirit(R.I.P.)
[QUOTE=farmatyr;33434584]What's cool about it is that it's nuclear. No more dusty solar panels.[/QUOTE] Runs off nuclear decay, and it's the size of a mini cooper. Considering those tiny solar ones lasted for years, only being designed for a few months. This thing should last quite awhile. Once we get past the launch, landing it on mars, and actually having that sky crane work, this thing will deliver loads of valuable data. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] Size comparison: [img]http://i.imgur.com/IAaG8.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/3t4Kg.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/5qatK.jpg[/img]
who else read "NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is tucked inside its Atlas V rocket" as "NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is fucked inside its Atlas V rocket" or am I the only one?
And now we wait for the "SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!" jokes. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] This project sounds pretty cool though.
Please no metric-imperial mixup, the last thing humanity needs is another funding cut for space exploration.
Farewell Curiosity!
Quick, someone do this in Kerbal Space Program!
[img]http://i.imgur.com/JuADN.jpg[/img] I can't wait for this thing to land. It's going to be a long wait.
I love how they even thought about sand gathering up in the wheels, when it's driving you can see a few holes. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] also what does that laser thing do, test the rock for scientific value?
[QUOTE=farmatyr;33434584]What's cool about it is that it's nuclear. No more dusty solar panels.[/QUOTE] Through the entire video I was like "So, is this battery operated? What's going on here." Thanks for clearing it up. Hopefully this one will run for years to come.
I believe it was supposed to last up to two years before the fuel has run out. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] I just realised why they aren't using solar power, it's just too weak for it, or you'll have to use VERY large panels.
[QUOTE=scratch (nl);33435201]I love how they even thought about sand gathering up in the wheels, when it's driving you can see a few holes. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] also what does that laser thing do, test the rock for scientific value?[/QUOTE] It has a bunch of experiments on board. One of them test rocks for signs of past life. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_rover#Payload[/url] it's proper name is the Mars Science Laboratory. It's basically an unmanned lab with wheels.
I don't like the rocket-carrier-instead-of-parachute-thingee idea. It relies on the assumption that it doesn't fly up and back into the hull (Unlikely but it would destroy everything) and it has a million subsystems that can all fail. They could've put the thrusters in the hull itself, released the parachute, touched down and then the upper hull+rockets flies away.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;33435374]I don't like the rocket-carrier-instead-of-parachute-thingee idea. It relies on the assumption that it doesn't fly up and back into the hull (Unlikely but it would destroy everything) and it has a million subsystems that can all fail. They could've put the thrusters in the hull itself, released the parachute, touched down and then the upper hull+rockets flies away.[/QUOTE] I don't like it either. It looks cool and stuff but there's so many things that can go wrong. I hope they calculated and tested that thing hundreds of times so it doesn't end up like this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTmlDmlVbFc&feature=related[/media] That would be an anticlimactic way to end the 8 and a half month wait.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqUdI4AIDF0[/media] Theres no stopping curiosity
they should atleast go visit spirit, hell, if they managed to recover spirit with this thing, they could have spirit driving along side it and being useful to it somehow
[QUOTE=scratch (nl);33435246]I believe it was supposed to last up to two years before the fuel has run out. [editline]25th November 2011[/editline] I just realised why they aren't using solar power, it's just too weak for it, or you'll have to use VERY large panels.[/QUOTE] According to Wikipedia the battery has a [i]minimum life of 14 years.[/i] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Mission_Radioisotope_Thermoelectric_Generator[/url]
holy shit didn't know that.
Could anyone tell me what time this is in UCT?
Will it be able to send live video?
[QUOTE=farmatyr;33436010]Will it be able to send live video?[/QUOTE] I think a 30 minute delay is about as live as you can get from mars. The NASA TV stuff from the control room will be live though.
The way things are going with science at the moment I'm feeling VERY optimistic about this!
Right now they're just talking about the ways to reach kids interest for NASA on the stream.
[QUOTE=OvB;33435688]According to Wikipedia the battery has a [i]minimum life of 14 years.[/i] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Mission_Radioisotope_Thermoelectric_Generator[/url][/QUOTE] Well, RTG power output drops with time, so I assume that once it gets some time past the planned length of the mission, they'll probably have to start turning off some systems to keep the extended mission going. The same happened with Voyager 1.
ah now the marts labratory part starts on the stream
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