Before Curiosity can explore Mars, it's got to get there first.
The last stage of the launch vehicle gives the spacecraft a final push
and spins it up for an eight and a half month cruise to the red planet.
Ten minutes before hitting the atmosphere, the cruise stage
separates and final preparations for entry begin.
Hitting the atmosphere at about 13,000 mph, the spacecraft begins to slow down.
While slowing down, the spacecraft uses it's thrusters to help steer toward the landing target.
We throw off weights to re-balance the spacecraft so that it is lined up for parachute deploy.
After slowing to about Mach 2, or about 1000 mph, we deploy the parachute
to slow down even further. Once we are below the speed of sound
the heat shield separates and the spacecraft looks for the ground with the landing radar.
Once we reach an altitude of about 1 mile, the spacecraft drops out of the backshell at about 200 mph.
It then fires up the landing engines to slow it down even further. Once we've descended to about 60 feet above the ground
we're going only about 2 mph, the rover separates from the descent stage.
As the rover is lowered, the wheels deploy in preparation for landing.
Once the rover is on the ground and touchdown has been detected, the descent stage cuts the rover loose. It flies away, leaving
Curiosity safe on the surface of Mars.
(Engines and parts humming)
One of the first things Curiosity does after landing is to deploy the mast, which supports many cameras and instruments.
Curiosity shoots a laser at an interesting target. This helps us quickly understand
the kind and composition of that target from a distance of up to 30 feet.
(Engine clicking and humming.)
If the target is worth a closer look, Curiosity can drive up and inspect it with
instruments and tools at the end of it's arm.
(Motorized sounds continue.)
(Drilling sounds)
The drill on the arm allows us to grab some of that rock and deliver to the laboratory instruments
inside the body of the rover.
(Pouring sounds)
Those instruments can tell us even more about the mineral composition, getting us closer to understanding whether life could have
existed on Mars. (Music starts)
Curiosity will be exploring the red planet for at least two Earth years. There is no
telling what we will discover.