Listen to this articleMARS MISSION
This Mars page pays tribute to NASA's 2011 mission to Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity rover, tentatively is expected to land on Mars on August 5th or 6th of 2012. After landing, the mission is expected to continue for nearly two years (at least 687 days). The Curiosity rover is expected to survey and explore up to 12 miles (20 kilometers) of Martian territory (as compared to Mars's approximate circumference of 21,339 kilometers or 13,259 miles when circumnavigating Mars at its equator).
THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
Photo Credit:
SSEC, the University of Wisconsin-Madison
CURIOSITY POISED TO BEGIN AMBITIOUS EXPLORATION:
ATLAS V LIFTS OFF WITH MSL:
MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) CURIOSITY ROVER ANIMATION:
CURIOSITY'S SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR:
NASA LANDS CAR-SIZED ROVER ON MARTIAN SURFACE:
| Value | Equality | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| r (rate) = d (distance) / t (time) | = | Distance formula with rate unknown |
| 11/26/2011, Sat | = | Start Date (Earth Departure) |
| 08/05/2012, Sun | = | Projected End Date (Mars Arrival) |
| 254 days | = | Projected Travel Time |
| 8 months / 10 days | = | Equivalent Travel Time as Months / Days |
| 6,096 | = | Equivalent Travel Time as Hours Using a 24-hour Day (time) |
| 352,000,000 | = | Projected Travel Distance as Miles (distance) |
| 57,742.782152231 | = | Extrapolated Average Travel Rate as Miles Per Hour (rate) |
| 1,385,826.77165354 | = | Equivalent Travel Rate as Miles Per Day Using a 24-Hour Day |
| 1.609344 | = | Conversion Factor for Miles to Kilometers |
| 92,928 | = | Equivalent Travel Rate as Kilometers Per Hour Using a 24-Hour Day |
| 2,230,272 | = | Equivalent Travel Rate as Kilometers Per Day Using a 24-Hour Day |
| 566,489,088 | = | Equivalent Travel Distance as Kilometers |
Margaret Berger's "Robot Song" and Mr Sam's "Split" represent two tribute songs to Curiosity and its NASA team.
| Cumulative Days Completed | Cumulative Miles Completed | Cumulative Kilometers Completed |
|---|---|---|
| 11/26/2011, Sat Earth Launch |
1,385,827 | 2,230,272 |
| 01/28/2012, Sat 25% or one-fourth way there |
88,692,913 | 142,737,408 |
| 03/31/2012, Sat 50% or halfway there |
176,000,000 | 283,244,544 |
| 06/03/2012, Sun 75% or three-fourths way there |
264,692,913 | 425,981,952 |
| 08/05/2012, Sun Mars Landing |
352,000,000 | 566,489,088 |
| CAVEAT: These computations are averages and are based on a 352-million-mile, 254-day journey to Mars. Click the Solar System Simulator link to see actual results. See also: News |
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EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
CHINA, TOO, COMES ALONG:
SOME UPCOMING MISSIONS:
Rosetta/Philae's Journey to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenkoand (C-G): Scheduled Arrival November 2014
Dawn's Journey to Asteroid/Dwarf Planet Ceres: Scheduled Arrival February 2015
New Horizons's Journey to Pluto (and Beyond): Scheduled Flyby July 2015
Juno's Journey to Jupiter: Scheduled Arrival July 2016
OSIRIS-REx | NASA spacecraft travels to a near-Earth asteroid Bennu: Scheduled Bennu Approach for August 2018 (Scheduled Bennu Departure for March 2021 and Return to Earth in September 2023)
Europa Clipper - NASA Earth's first mission to conduct a detailed science investigation of Jupiter's moon Europa, where scientists predict a vast salty ocean lies beneath its icy crust, possibly holding the building blocks necessary to sustain life. Europa Clipper: Scheduled Europa departure for October 2024 and arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The current end of mission plan calls for Europa Clipper to deorbit into Ganymede's surface in September 2034 after its mission is complete.
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