Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2021

27 MARCH-APRIL 2021 MARS ROVERS W hile Spirit and Opportu- nity were still operatio- nal, NASA had already set up their successor − the Mars Sci- ence Laboratory mission Curiosity, an SUV-sized rover equipped with far more scientific instruments than its predecessors. Launched on No- vember 26, 2011, Curiosity landed on Mars on August 5, 2012 (1:32 EDT on August 6, 2012) and remains operational. In this mission, techno- logical innovations were introduced that tested a completely new land- ing method. After atmospheric braking, the spacecraft dropped by hanging from a parachute. Shortly before landing, a rear rocket system further slowed the descent, allow- ing for a soft landing on the sur- face. The rover landed on its wheels and quickly got rid of the landing system, which fell at a safe distance away from the rover. Compared to the architecture of previous mis- sions, that of the Mars Science Lab- oratory represents a significant step forward in the exploration of Mars, achieving three important mile- stones: landing a very large and heavy rover on the surface of Mars; demonstrating the ability to land within a pre-determined area of R elive the nail-biting terror and joy as NASA’s Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). See and hear the team in- side JPL mission control along with a visualization of the spacecraft’s entry, descent and landing. [NASA/JPL]