Science On Top

The Mars Science Laboratory, called "Curiosity", is the largest spacecraft we've sent to another planet. Weighing 900kg, packed with ten scientific instruments, 17 cameras and a nuclear power source the rover is looking for signs that Mars could have supported life at some point. I caught up with Lucas Randal, Sumen Rai and Alan Kerlin to talk about the complicated Entry, Descent and Landing procedure and the rover's two-year mission. Watch the incredible 7 Minutes of Teror video. Related links and stories we talked about in this show: Curiosity puts wheels on Mars via Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Alan Kerlin's blog, featuring lots of interviews with people related to the mission Mars in a Minute: How Hard Is It to Land Curiosity on Mars? Emily Lakdawalla's detailled breakdown of the Entry/Descent/Landing: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 Mars Landing Broadcast on Ustream Outperforms Cable TV, Company Says NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' draws 'Curiosity' of his own NASA's constantly updating image archive This e