NASA: favorable weather on Mars for landing Curiosity

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The weather conditions on Mars, according to NASA favourable for the landing of the Curiosity rover-reconnaissance vehicle. Monday must be the Curiosity rover on the red planet countries after a number of technically very advanced maneuvers.

The Curiosity rover, a 900 kg heavy Marsverkenner, is part of the 2.5 billion dollar NASA project Mars Science Laboratory. The robotvoertuig should be according to the schedule, Monday morning at 7:30 pm on Mars countries. To the landing of the relatively heavy vehicle to be successful, a number of highly complex maneuvers executed in which, according to NASA, no space for errors.

The MSL will, with a speed of 21,000 kilometers per hour in the atmosphere of Mars to enter. To the Marsverkenner not to be lost on the planets surface, the computer seven minutes and the time to slow down. A giant parachute, the probe must slow it down to a few hundreds of kilometers per hour. Then thrusters enabled the probe to twenty feet above the surface of the red planet and must float. Then the Curiosity rover with the help of a floating crane, an entirely new technology from NASA, via three cables to the bottom left. Then it will probe further to fly at a safe distance down a deposit.

NASA has for a takelprocedure at the landing to choose by the weight of the Rover. The Marsverkenner is five times heavier than its predecessors, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, and would therefore be a landing using airbags did not survive.

According to NASA, the weather conditions on Mars are favorable. A potentially dangerous dust storm in the vicinity of the intended landingslocatie, the deep Gale crater, is toned down. Also, there are ijswolken detected in the thin atmosphere of Mars. This would suggest cold and relatively dust-free weather.

The Curiosity rover after its launch in november last year, a nine-month journey of 567 million kilometers. During his journey, the spacecraft data on the cosmic radiation transmitted to the earth. This data can be used for a future manned space flight.

If NASA can manage to the Curiosity rover alive on the martian surface, then will the cart for two years doing research at the mountain Mount Sharp, located next to the Gale crater. With the previous Marsverkenners are here traces of water found. To learn more about the climate of Mars in the past, Curiosity stratigraphy and investigate.

The nuclear-powered Curiosity rover has, for his investigations on the red planet a large number of instruments on board. Thus, a laser beam sediments are evaporated, after which a spectroscope and the released vapor can investigate. Also, in the vehicle a minilaboratorium present where the composition of the collected substances can be investigated. NASA is particularly interested in organic molecules, such as carbon compounds. These are the building blocks for living organisms.