| insignia = Mars Science Laboratory mission logo.png

| insignia_caption = MSL (Curiosity) mission patch

| programme = Large Strategic Science Missions<br><small>Planetary Science Division</small>

| previous_mission = Cassini–Huygens

| next_mission = Mars 2020

| programme2 = Mars Exploration Program

| previous_mission2 = Phoenix

| next_mission2 = MAVEN

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011,

Previous successful U.S. Mars rovers include Sojourner from the Mars Pathfinder mission and the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Curiosity is about twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity,

;Biological:

  • (1) Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds
  • (2) Investigate the chemical building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur)
  • (3) Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes (biosignatures)

;Geological and geochemical:

  • (4) Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geological materials
  • (5) Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils

;Planetary process

  • (6) Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) Martian atmospheric evolution processes
  • (7) Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide

;Surface radiation

  • (8) Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including cosmic radiation, solar particle events and secondary neutrons. As part of its exploration, it also measured the radiation exposure in the interior of the spacecraft as it traveled to Mars, and it is continuing radiation measurements as it explores the surface of Mars. This data would be important for a future human mission.

Specifications

Spacecraft

thumb|upright|left|Diagram of the MSL spacecraft: 1- Cruise stage; 2- Backshell; 3- Descent stage; 4- [[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity rover; 5- Heat shield; 6- Parachute]]

The spacecraft flight system had a mass at launch of , consisting of an Earth-Mars fueled cruise stage (), the entry-descent-landing (EDL) system ( including of landing propellant), and a mobile rover with an integrated instrument package.

:

thumb|upright=1.0|right|Curiosity transmits to Earth directly or via three relay satellites in Mars orbit.

  • Communications: Curiosity is equipped with several means of communication, for redundancy. An X band Small Deep Space Transponder for communication directly to Earth via the NASA Deep Space Network and a UHF Electra-Lite software-defined radio for communicating with Mars orbiters.

:At landing, telemetry was monitored by the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA's Mars Express. Odyssey is capable of relaying UHF telemetry back to Earth in real time. The relay time varies with the distance between the two planets and took 13:46 minutes at the time of landing. The wheels are significantly larger ( diameter) than those used on previous rovers. Each wheel has cleats and is independently actuated and geared, providing for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. The four corner wheels can be independently steered, allowing the vehicle to turn in place as well as execute arcing turns. It will identify and quantify the minerals present in rocks and soil and thereby assess the involvement of water in their formation, deposition, or alteration.

thumb|right|150px|

  • Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD): This instrument was the first of ten MSL instruments to be turned on. Both en route and on the planet's surface, it characterized the broad spectrum of radiation encountered in the Martian environment. Turned on after launch, it recorded several radiation spikes caused by the Sun.

thumb|left|Comparison of Radiation Doses – includes the amount detected on the trip from Earth to Mars by the [[Radiation assessment detector|RAD on the MSL (2011–2013) On August 18, 2012 (sol ) the Russian science instrument, DAN, was turned on, marking the success of a Russian-American collaboration on the surface of Mars and the first working Russian science instrument on the Martian surface since Mars 3 stopped transmitting over forty years ago. The instrument is designed to detect subsurface water.

  • Cameras: Curiosity has seventeen cameras overall. The payload includes the first laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system to be used for planetary science, and Curiosity fifth science camera, the remote micro-imager (RMI). The RMI provides black-and-white images at 1024×1024 resolution in a 0.02 radian (1.1-degree) field of view. This is approximately equivalent to a 1500&nbsp;mm lens on a 35 mm camera.

thumb|right|MARDI views the surface.

  • Mars Descent Imager (MARDI): During the descent to the Martian surface, MARDI acquired 4 color images per second, at 1600×1200 pixels, with a 0.9-millisecond exposure time, from before heatshield separation at 3.7&nbsp;km altitude, until a few seconds after touchdown. This provided engineering information about both the motion of the rover during the descent process, and science information about the terrain immediately surrounding the rover. NASA descoped MARDI in 2007, but Malin Space Science Systems contributed it with its own resources. After landing it could take per pixel views of the surface, the first of these post-landing photos were taken by August 27, 2012 (sol ).
  • Engineering cameras: There are 12 additional cameras that support mobility:
  • Hazard avoidance cameras (Hazcams): The rover has a pair of black and white navigation cameras (Hazcams) located on each of its four corners. These provide close-up views of potential obstacles about to go under the wheels.
  • Navigation cameras (Navcams): The rover uses two pairs of black and white navigation cameras mounted on the mast to support ground navigation. NASA called for proposals for the rover's scientific instruments in April 2004,

thumb|Mars Science Laboratory in final assembly

MSL launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011.

Naming

Between March 23 and 29, 2009, the general public ranked nine finalist rover names (Adventure, Amelia, Journey, Perception, Pursuit, Sunrise, Vision, Wonder, and Curiosity) through a public poll on the NASA website. The Atlas V was also used to launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the New Horizons probe. This two stage rocket includes a Common Core Booster (CCB) powered by one RD-180 engine, four solid rocket boosters (SRB), and one Centaur second stage with a diameter payload fairing. The NASA Launch Services Program coordinated the launch via the NASA Launch Services (NLS) I Contract.

Cruise

thumb|right|Animation of Mars Science Laboratory trajectory<br />

Cruise stage

The cruise stage carried the MSL spacecraft through the void of space and delivered it to Mars. The interplanetary trip covered the distance of 352 million miles in 253 days. The cruise stage has its own miniature propulsion system, consisting of eight thrusters using hydrazine fuel in two titanium tanks. In December 2012, the debris field from the cruise stage was located by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Since the initial size, velocity, density and impact angle of the hardware are known, it will provide information on impact processes on the Mars surface and atmospheric properties.

Mars transfer orbit

The MSL spacecraft departed Earth orbit and was inserted into a heliocentric Mars transfer orbit on November 26, 2011, shortly after launch, by the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle.

During cruise, eight thrusters arranged in two clusters were used as actuators to control spin rate and perform axial or lateral trajectory correction maneuvers. Along the way, the cruise stage performed four trajectory correction maneuvers to adjust the spacecraft's path toward its landing site. Information was sent to mission controllers via two X-band antennas. The novel EDL system placed Curiosity within a landing ellipse, The final landing place for the rover was less than from its target after a journey.

The EDL phase of the MSL spaceflight mission to Mars took only seven minutes and unfolded automatically, as programmed by JPL engineers in advance, in a precise order, with the entry, descent and landing sequence occurring in four distinct event phases: Steering was achieved by the combined use of thrusters and ejectable balance masses. The ejectable balance masses shift the capsule center of mass enabling generation of a lift vector during the atmospheric phase. A navigation computer integrated the measurements to estimate the position and attitude of the capsule that generated automated torque commands. This was the first planetary mission to use precision landing techniques.

The rover was folded up within an aeroshell that protected it during the travel through space and during the atmospheric entry at Mars. Ten minutes before atmospheric entry the aeroshell separated from the cruise stage that provided power, communications and propulsion during the long flight to Mars. One minute after separation from the cruise stage thrusters on the aeroshell fired to cancel out the spacecraft's 2-rpm rotation and achieved an orientation with the heat shield facing Mars in preparation for Atmospheric entry. The sky crane concept had never been used in missions before. of layered rocks, rising about above the crater floor, that Curiosity will investigate. The landing site is a smooth region in "Yellowknife" Quad 51 of Aeolis Palus inside the crater in front of the mountain. The target landing site location was an elliptical area . NASA named the rover landing site Bradbury Landing on sol , August 22, 2012. According to NASA, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 heat-resistant bacterial spores were on Curiosity at launch, and as much as 1,000 times that number may not have been counted.

Media

Videos

Images

Further reading

  • —overview article about the MSL, landing site, and instrumentation
  • MSL Home Page
  • Scientific Publications by MSL Team Members (PDF)
  • MSL – Media Press Kit (November, 2011) (PDF)
  • Image Gallery
  • MSL – NASA/JPL News Channel Videos
  • MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Animated Video (02:00)
  • MSL – NASA Updates – *REPLAY* Anytime (NASA-YouTube)
  • MSL – "Curiosity Lands" (08/06/2012) – NASA/JPL – Video (03:40)
  • Descent video sim&real/narrated, MSL real time/25fps, all/4fp, HiRise
  • MSL – Landing ("7 Minutes of Terror")
  • MSL – Landing Site – Gale Crater – Animated/Narrated Video (02:37)
  • MSL – Mission Summary – Animated/Extended Video (11:20)
  • MSL – "Curiosity Launch" (11/26/2011) – NASA/Kennedy – Video (04:00)
  • MSL – NASA/JPL Virtual Tour – Rover
  • MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Timeline/ieee
  • MSL – Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL) – Description. (PDF)
  • MSL – Raw Images, Listing by JPL (official)