Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more 禄Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
City-born architect lists inspiration behind his designs in a new book
Digitization helps preserve, disseminate intangible cultural heritage
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
NASA launching 'dream machine' to explore Mars
Source: Agencies |
November 23, 2011, Wednesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
AS big as a car and as well-equipped as a laboratory, NASA's newest Mars rover blows away its predecessors in size and skill.
Nicknamed Curiosity and scheduled for launch on Saturday, the rover has a 7-foot (2-meter) arm tipped with a jackhammer and a laser to break through the Martian red rock. What really makes it stand out: It can analyze rocks and soil with unprecedented accuracy.
"This is a Mars scientist's dream machine," said NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Ashwin Vasavada, the deputy project scientist.
Once on the red planet, Curiosity will be on the lookout for organic, carbon-containing compounds. While the rover can't actually detect the presence of living organisms, scientists hope to learn from the US$2.5 billion, nuclear-powered mission whether Mars has - or ever had - what it takes to nurture microbial life.
Curiosity will be "the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars exploration program.
Ten-feet long, 9-feet wide and 7-feet tall at its mast, Curiosity is about twice the size of previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity, weighs 1 ton and is loaded with 10 science instruments. Its formal name: Mars Science Laboratory, or MSL.
The rover is scheduled to arrive at the mineral-rich Gale Crater next August, 8? months after embarking on the 354-million-mile (570-million kilometer) voyage aboard an Atlas V rocket.
Nicknamed Curiosity and scheduled for launch on Saturday, the rover has a 7-foot (2-meter) arm tipped with a jackhammer and a laser to break through the Martian red rock. What really makes it stand out: It can analyze rocks and soil with unprecedented accuracy.
"This is a Mars scientist's dream machine," said NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Ashwin Vasavada, the deputy project scientist.
Once on the red planet, Curiosity will be on the lookout for organic, carbon-containing compounds. While the rover can't actually detect the presence of living organisms, scientists hope to learn from the US$2.5 billion, nuclear-powered mission whether Mars has - or ever had - what it takes to nurture microbial life.
Curiosity will be "the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars exploration program.
Ten-feet long, 9-feet wide and 7-feet tall at its mast, Curiosity is about twice the size of previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity, weighs 1 ton and is loaded with 10 science instruments. Its formal name: Mars Science Laboratory, or MSL.
The rover is scheduled to arrive at the mineral-rich Gale Crater next August, 8? months after embarking on the 354-million-mile (570-million kilometer) voyage aboard an Atlas V rocket.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
