NASA's Curiosity Rover Touches Down on Mars
The car-size Curiosity rover could help answer the big question: Was Mars ever habitable?
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August 6, 2012
Image: Don Foley
A sophisticated rover means a big, heavy rover. Curiosity is the size of a Mini Cooper and weighs about one metric ton. The capsule that carries it through interplanetary space is larger than the one that carried the Apollo astronauts. Accordingly, the way in which the Curiosity rover will land is conceptually bold and unprecedented.
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3 Comments
Add CommentIn my view, this beast will not land very well. The UNnecessary complexity of the landing sequence design will make for total failure; a pile of metal, plastic, and radioactivity.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy expect failure. Why would complexity of the landing sequence necessarily lead to failure? We have already had success w/moon landing and other space feats. I for one hope it's successful...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnnecessary complexity? Yes, I'm sure they added all that complexity because they thought it would be cool.
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