Vehicles

1. Select Image Mars Science Laboratory Assembly, Test and Launch Vehicles Mars Operations Status Reference Information 1

2. Three Generations of Mars Rovers at JPL Spirit/Opportunity Test Rover Curiosity Test Rover Sojourner Flight Spare Curiosity and Spirit/Opportunity test rovers are shown with the Mars Pathfinder flight spare rover (first to operate on Mars in July 1997) at the Mars Yard testing area at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. Curiosity is about the size of a small SUV - 10 ft long (not including the arm), 9 ft wide and 7 ft tall, and weighs about 2,000 lbs on Earth. 2

3. Curiosity Rover Mobility Testing at JPL This photograph of the Curiosity rover was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011 inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. The rover was shipped to Kennedy Space Center, FL in late June 2011. 3

4. Curiosity's Heat Shield and Back Shell Connected Back Shell Powered Descent Vehicle Curiosity Rover Heat Shield The back shell powered descent vehicle, containing the Curiosity rover is being placed on the spacecraft's heat shield at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL. The heat shield and the spacecraft's back shell form an encapsulating aeroshell that will protect the rover from the intense heat that will be generated as the flight system descends through the Martian atmosphere. 4

5. MSL Assembled into Atlas V Payload Fairing Sections of an Atlas V rocket payload fairing enclose the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL. The two halves of the fairing come together protecting the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are the acoustic protection system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. Atlas V Payload Fairing (2 Sections) MSL Launch Vehicle Adapter 5

6. MSL Spacecraft Stack-up on Atlas V The Atlas V rocket Payload Fairing containing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft is lifted up the side of the Vertical Integration Facility on November 3, 2011. The payload fairing was subsequently attached to the Atlas V already stacked inside the facility. MSL Spacecraft with Curiosity Rover in Payload Fairing Centaur Upper Stage Atlas V Core Stage Atlas V Solid Rocket Motors (4 Places) 6

7. MSL/Curiosity Rover Launch The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on November 26, 2011 with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. Credit: United Launch Alliance

8. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Spacecraft 1. During the MSL spacecraft cruise phase, the vehicle is propelled from Earth to final approach to Mars. The spacecraft includes a disc-shaped cruise stage attached to the aeroshell. The Curiosity rover and descent stage are tucked inside the aeroshell. Along the way to Mars, the cruise stage will perform several trajectory correction maneuvers to adjust the spacecraft's path toward its final, precise landing site on Mars. 1. 2. The cruise stage is jettisoned before atmospheric entry. The mission's approach phase begins 45 minutes before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. It lasts until the spacecraft enters the atmosphere. 2. 3. 3. The mission's entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase begins when the spacecraft with a velocity of about 13,200 miles per hour reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere about 81 miles above the surface. The friction with the Martian atmosphere slows the spacecraft's descent and heats the heat shield. This friction with the atmosphere before the opening of the spacecraft's parachute will accomplish more than nine-tenths of the deceleration of the EDL phase.

9. MSL Spacecraft and Curiosity Rover 4. After a 51 ft diameter parachute deploys, the MSL spacecraft’s heat shield is jettisoned. The parachute is attached to the top of the backshell portion of the spacecraft's aeroshell. The spacecraft's descent stage and the Curiosity rover can be seen inside the backshell. When the backshell drops away, a radar system on the descent stage begins determining the spacecraft's altitude and velocity. 4. 5. The descent stage controls its own rate of descent with four of its eight rocket engines and begins lowering Curiosity on a bridle. The rover is connected to the descent stage by three nylon tethers and by a power and communication umbilical. 5. 6. 6. The descent stage’s bridle extends to a full length of about 25 ft as the stage continues descending. Seconds later, when touchdown is detected, the bridle is cut at the rover end, and the descent stage flies off to stay clear of Curiosity’s landing site. The rover will study whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and preserving clues about whether life existed. 9

10. Curiosity Rover Note: • CheMin and SAM are inside the rover. • Only visible instruments are labeled. ChemCam REMS Organic Check Material Mastcam Observation Tray Drill Bit Boxes Ultra-High Frequency Antenna Robot Arm Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator APXS & MAHLI 10

11. Curiosity Telecommunications Network Organic Check Material This chart illustrates how Curiosity talks with Earth. The rover can send direct messages. However, it communicates more efficiently with the help of Mars orbiting spacecraft, including NASA's Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the European Space Agency's Mars Express (backup). NASA's Deep Space Network of antennae across the globe receive the transmissions and send them to the Mars Science Laboratory mission operations center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 11

12. MSL Descends to Martian Surface August 6, 2012 - The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with the Curiosity rover and its parachute were photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as the spacecraft descended through the Martian atmosphere to its landing site. MSL and its parachute are in the center of the white box; the inset image is a cutout of the MSL (bottom) and the parachute. The heat shield had jettisoned prior to the time that the picture was taken. The MRO High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera captured this image while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from MSL. 12

13. First Look from Curiosity on Mars August 6, 2012 - The image is one of the first that Curiosity captured shortly after the rover landed on Mars. Rising up in the distance is the tallest peak of Mount Sharp at a height of about 3.4 miles, higher than Mount Whitney in California. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think holds clues to past environmental change. Two of Curiosity’s front wheels can be seen in the left and right foreground. The image was taken by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution. 13

14. Scene of a Martian Landing August 7, 2012 - The four main pieces of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) that arrived on Mars with the Curiosity rover on August 6, 2012 were spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The heat shield was the first piece to hit the ground, followed by the back shell attached to the parachute, then the rover touched down, and finally, after the cables were cut, the sky crane flew away to the northwest and crashed. Relatively dark areas in all four spots are from disturbances of the bright dust on Mars, revealing the darker material below the surface dust. The MRO High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera captured this image about 24 hours after the landing.

15. Curiosity Lands in Target The rover landed in 96 mile diameter Gale Crater near a large mountain that lies in the crater. A red dot shows where the rover landed, well within its targeted 4 by 12 miles landing ellipse, outlined in blue. Mount Sharp rises about 3.4 miles above the floor of Gale Crater. Stratification on Mount Sharp suggests the mountain is a surviving remnant of an extensive series of deposits that were laid down after a massive impact that excavated the crater more than 3 billion years ago. The southeast looking image combines elevation data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, image data from the Context Camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and color information from Viking Orbiter imagery. There is no vertical exaggeration in the image. 15

16. Mineral Layer Key in Landing Site Selection Layer of Clay Minerals Alluvial Fan This artist's impression of Gale Crater depicts a cross section through Mount Sharp in the middle of the crater, from a viewpoint looking toward the southeast. The landing site is on or near an alluvial fan indicated in gray. The landing site is near the base of Mount Sharp and its layered rock represents a frozen record of the planet's changing environment and evolution. A key factor in the selection of Gale Crater as the mission's landing site was the existence of clay minerals in a layer near the base of the mountain, within driving range of the landing site. The location of the clay minerals is indicated as the green band through the cross section of the mountain. The image uses two-fold vertical exaggeration to emphasize the area's topography. The image combines elevation data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, image data from the Context Camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and color information from Viking Orbiter imagery. 16

17. First Panorama of Gale Crater in Color August 8, 2012 - Curiosity takes the first panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site. Replace with JPL image when available adding text and websites. Change Ref Info when available. Scientists will be taking a closer look at several splotches in the foreground that appear gray. These areas show the effects of the descent stage's rocket engines blasting the ground. The soil was blown away by the thrusters; the excavation of the soil reveals probable bedrock outcrops. Curiosity can be seen along the bottom of this mosaic. The color images also reveal additional shades of reddish brown around the dunes, likely indicating different textures or materials. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera. The images in this panorama were brightened in the processing. Mars only receives half the sunlight Earth does and this image was taken in the late Martian afternoon. 17

18. Mount Sharp Geology Highlight 330 Feet August 27, 2012 - This image of Mount Sharp was taken by the rover’s Mast Camera. Data revealed a strong discontinuity in the strata above and below the line of white dots. This provides evidence that the absence of hydrated minerals on the upper reaches of Mount Sharp may coincide with a very different formation environment than lower on the slopes. Hydrated minerals have water molecules or water-related ions bound into the mineral's crystalline structure. Prior to Curiosity landing on Mars, observations from orbiting satellites indicated that the lower reaches of Mount Sharp, below the line of white dots, were composed of relatively flat-lying strata of hydrated minerals. Those orbiter observations also did not reveal hydrated minerals in the higher, overlying strata. 18

19. Remnants of Ancient Streambed Found GravelClast Gravel Pile 4inches September 14, 2012 - Curiosity found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named "Hottah" after Hottah Lake in Canada's northwest territories. It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was disrupted in the past, giving it the tilted angle, most likely via impacts from meteorites. The key evidence for the ancient stream comes from the size and rounded shape of the gravel in and around the bedrock. Hottah has pieces of gravel embedded in it, called clasts, up to a couple inches in size and located within a matrix of sand-sized material. Some of the clasts are round in shape, leading the science team to conclude they were transported by a vigorous flow of water. Erosion of the outcrop results in the gravel pile. This image mosaic was taken by the Mastcam telephoto lens. 19

20. Curiosity Status (as of October 2, 2012) North East 650 Feet This map shows the route driven by Curiosity. The route starts where the rover landed, a site subsequently named Bradbury Landing. The white line extending toward the east from Bradbury Landing is the rover's path on October 2, 2012, and the green line shows its planned future route. Numbering of the dots along the line indicate the sol number (Martian day after landing) of each drive. By October 2, 2012, Curiosity had driven a total distance of about 1,590 ft. The Glenelg area is the mission's first major science destination, selected as likely to offer a good target for the rover's first analysis of powder collected by drilling into a rock. The image is from an observation of the landing site by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 20

21. Landing Site and Destinations Map The image shows the landing site of Curiosity and the destinations scientists want to investigate. The rover landed inside Gale Crater on August 6, 2012 at the green dot. The science team has chosen for it to move toward the region marked by a blue dot that is named Glenelg. Glenelg marks the intersection of three kinds of terrain. One of the three is layered bedrock, which is attractive as the Curiosity’s first drilling target. The rover is expected to leave Glenelg sometime toward the end of 2012. North East 3 Miles Curiosity will then drive to the blue spot labeled “Base of Mount Sharp” which is a natural break in the dunes that will allow the rover to begin scaling the lower reaches of Mount Sharp to the southeast. At the base of Mount Sharp are layered buttes and mesas that scientists hope will reveal the area’s geological history. The image was acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 21

22. Reference Information Images: Courtesy of NASA, NASA/JPL-Caltech, Cornell University and noted Text: http://marsrover.nasa.gov/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://www.nasa.gov/ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://spaceflightnow.com/ http://www.cbsnews.com/ http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://www.ne.doe.gov/ Curiosity Parts Interactive: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/learncuriosity/ End

25. MSL Atlas V Launch Vehicle • The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 vehicle was selected for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission because it had the right liftoff capability for the heavy weight requirements, and rockets in the same family have successfully lifted NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and New Horizons missions. • Atlas V rockets are expendable launch vehicles meaning they are only used once. • The numbers in the 541 designation signify a payload fairing that is approximately 5 meters (16.4 ft) in diameter; 4 solid-rocket boosters fastened alongside the central common core booster; and a one-engine Centaur upper stage. • The major elements of the Atlas V-541 rocket that will be used for the MSL mission are: • Core Stage - includes the fuel and oxygen tanks that feed an engine for the ascent and powers the spacecraft into Earth orbit. • Solid Rocket Motors - 4 motors increase engine thrust during ascent. • Upper Stage - a Centaur upper stage with fuel and oxidizer and the vehicle's “brains.” It fires twice, once to insert the vehicle-spacecraft stack into low Earth orbit and then again to accelerate the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and on its way towards Mars. • Payload Fairing - a thin composite or nose cone protects the spacecraft during the ascent through Earth's atmosphere. 25

26. Curiosity Rover - Page 1 of 3 • Engineering cameras: • Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) - four pairs of black and white cameras, mounted on the lower portion of the rover (front and rear), capture 3-D imagery that safeguards against Curiosity getting lost or inadvertently crashing into unexpected obstacles. • Navigation Cameras (Navcams) - two pairs of black and white cameras are mounted on the rover mast to gather panoramic, 3-D imagery that supports ground navigation planning by scientists and engineers. The Navcams work in cooperation with the Hazcams to provide a complementary view of the terrain. • Primary science cameras: • Mast Camera (Mastcam) - a two camera system that takes color images and color video footage of the terrain. • Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) - a camera that provides close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust. • Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) - a camera that produces a video stream of high-resolution, overhead views of the landing site. It will continue acquiring images until the rover lands, storing the video data in digital memory. The MARMDI also provides information about the surrounding the landing site. • Primary science instruments: • Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) - measures the abundance of chemical elements in rocks and soils. • Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) - a spectrometer thatlooks at rocks and soils from a distance, firing a laser and analyzing the elemental composition of the vaporized materials from very small areas on the surface of rocks and soils. 26

27. Curiosity Rover - Page 2 of 3 • Primary science instruments (Continued): • Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) - a suite of three instruments that searches for compounds of the element carbon, including methane, that are associated with life and explores ways they are generated and destroyed in the Martian ecosphere. • Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) - measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the surface, such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays. • Dynamics of Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) - a pulsing neutron generator is sensitive enough to detect very low water content and resolve layers of water and ice beneath the surface. • Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) - identifies and measures the abundances of various minerals on Mars. • Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) - measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on atmospheric pressure, humidity, ultraviolet radiation at the surface, wind speed and direction, air temperature, and ground temperature around the rover. • MSL Entry, Descent and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) - collects engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere. The data will help engineers design systems for entry into the Martian atmosphere that are safer, more reliable, and lighter weight. • Miscellaneous components: • Organic Check Material (OCM) - five bricks of OCM are mounted in canisters on the front of the rover that are used to assess the characteristics of organic contamination at five different times during the mission. - Steps have been taken to ensure that measurements of soil and rocks on Mars do not contain terrestrial contaminants; however, a slight amount of contamination may be present. 27

28. Curiosity Rover - Page 3 of 3 • Miscellaneous components (Continued): • Robot Arm (RA) - the arm extends the rover’s reach and collects rock and soil samples. - Much like a human arm, the 7.5 ft robotic arm has flexibility through the shoulder, elbow and wrist (5 degrees-of-freedom). • At the end of the arm is a turret, shaped like a cross. This turret, a hand-like structure, holds 5 devices that can spin through a 350 degree turning range. • -- The 5 turret-mounted devices include a drill, brush, soil scoop, sample processing device, and the mechanical and electrical interfaces to the two contact science instruments APXS and MAHLI. --- The drill is capable of exchanging bits with the extra spare bits located in Bit Boxes. • Observation Tray - soil and rock samples that have passed through the 150-micron sieve of CHIMRA can be deposited on the tray and observed by the APXS and MAHLI. • The CHIMRA (Collection and Handling for Interior Martian Rock Analysis), located on the arm turret, sieves and portions the samples from the scoop and the drill which are then distributed to the analytical instruments, SAM and CheMin. • Instrument Inlet Covers - deck mounted covers near the front protect the SAM and CheMin solid sample inlets from being contaminated by particulates from the atmosphere or rover deck. • Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) - produces the rover’s electricity from the heat of plutonium-238’s radioactive decay. - Solid-state thermocouples convert the heat energy to electricity. • - Warm fluids heated by the generator’s excess heat are plumbed throughout the rover to keep electronics and other systems at acceptable operating temperatures. • - The MMRTG will provide reliable power to operate the Curiosity rover for at least one Martian year or 687 Earth days. 28

29. Curiosity Telecommunications - Page 1 of 2 • During Mars surface operations, the rover has multiple options available for receiving commands from mission controllers on Earth and for returning rover science and engineering information. • Curiosity has the capability to communicate directly with Earth via X-band links with the Deep Space Network. • This capability will be used routinely to deliver commands to the rover each morning. • The rover can also be used to return information to Earth, but only at relatively low data rates, on the order of kilobits per second, due to the rover’s limited power and antenna size, and to the long distance between Earth and Mars. • Curiosity will return most information via UHF relay links, using one of its two redundant Electra-Lite radios to communicate with a Mars orbiter passing overhead. • - In their trajectories around Mars, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey orbiter each fly over the Curiosity landing site at least once each afternoon and once each morning before dawn. • -- While these contact opportunities are short in duration, typically lasting only about 10 minutes, the proximity of the orbiters allows Curiosity to transmit at much higher data rates than the rover can use for direct-to-Earth transmissions. • -- The rover can transmit to Odyssey at up to about 0.25 megabit per second and to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at up to about 2 megabits per second. • -- The orbiters, with their higher-power transmitters and larger antennas, then take the job of relaying the information via X-band to the Deep Space Network on Earth. Mission plans call for the return of 250 megabits of Curiosity data per Martian day over these relay links. • -- The links can also be used for delivering commands from Earth to Curiosity. 29

30. Curiosity Telecommunications - Page 2 of 2 • Mars surface operations telecommunications (Continued): • While not planned for routine operational use during the rover’s surface mission, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter will be available as a backup communications relay asset should NASA’s relay orbiters become unavailable for any period of time. • Curiosity has three telecommunications antennas that serve as both its “voice” and its "ears." • The antennas are located on the rover equipment deck (top surface). • The multiple antennas provide backup options. • The three antennas are: 1) Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Antenna - Most often, Curiosity will likely send radio waves through its UHF antenna (about 400 Megahertz) to communicate with Earth through NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiters. 2) High-Gain Antenna (HGA) - Curiosity will likely use its high-gain antenna to receive commands for the mission team back on Earth. - The HGA can send a “beam” of information in a specific direction and it is steerable, so the antenna can move to point itself directly to any antenna on Earth. 3) Low-Gain Antenna (LGA) - Curiosity will likely use its LGA primarily for receiving signals. - The LGA can send and receive information in every direction; that is, it is “omni directional.” - The LGA transmits radio waves at a low rate to the Deep Space Network antennas on Earth. 30

31. Curiosity Rover Timeline • Nov. 26, 2011 - Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. • Aug. 6, 2012 - Curiosity lands in Gale Crater. • The rover touched down well within the targeted landing area. • The landing site, named Bradbury Landing, is near the 3.4 mile high Mount Sharp located in Gale Crater. • Aug. 14, 2012 - Engineers successfully updated the rover's computer software. • Aug. 19, 2012 - Curiosity successfully test fired the ChemCam laser at a nearby rock, blasting it with rapid-fire million-watt pulses that vaporized the outer layers for spectroscopic analysis. • Aug. 22, 2012 - The rover took its first baby steps. - It moved about 15 ft forward, performed a slow 120-degree pirouette and then backed up 8 ft to prove it is mobile. • Sept. 14, 2012 - Curiosity finds evidence for an ancient, flowing stream. • Oct. 2, 2012 - Curiosity has driven a total distance of about 1,590 ft.