Date: Monday, 06-August-2012, 11:35 AM | Message # 1
--dragon lord--
Group: Users
Messages: 4401
Status: Offline
One of the most daring space missions ever undertaken is nearing Mars.
Nasa will attempt to land its one-tonne Curiosity rover on the Red Planet to study the possibility that this world may once have hosted microbial life.
The vehicle is packed with scientific instruments, including a laser that can zap rocks to determine their make-up.
Curiosity is currently hurtling through space, close to the end of a 570 million km journey from Earth.
Engineers describe its trajectory as near-perfect and they have passed up the last two opportunities to make course corrections.
The rover, tucked inside a protective shell, is due to begin its descent to the surface at 05:24 GMT, Monday (06:24 BST; 22:24 PDT, Sun).
A signal confirming it has landed inside a deep depression known as Gale Crater is expected on Earth about seven minutes later, at 05:31 GMT.
NASA's Curiosity rover is a 1-ton robot that will make an unprecedented Mars landing on Aug. 5, 2012. See how the risky maneuver will keep rover team members in suspense for 7 fateful minutes. Credit: NASA
