Curiosity Rover Atop Atlas V
August 7, 2012
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the payload fairing protecting NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) stands atop the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during rollout to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41. The rocket began its move from the Vertical Integration Facility at 8 a.m. EST and arrived at the pad at 8:40 a.m. Liftoff is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Nov. 26. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source.
More information about Curiosity is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/msl or http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.
Image Credit: NASA
Topics:
Space, Spaceflight, Space exploration, Technology Internet, Atlas V, Mars Science Laboratory, Launch pad, Delta IV, Mars exploration, CAPE CANAVERAL, Mars Exploration Rover, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Spacecraft, Unmanned spacecraft, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
