Artist’s render of MSL on Mars. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents: Mission Overview Timeline Scientific Objectives Spacecraft Equipment Links Image from NASA Banner image: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/artwork/hires/lg_140.jpg Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Artist’s render of MSL on Mars.

Artist’s render of MSL on Mars. MISSION OVERVIEW The Mars Science Lab is a 2009 international effort to study the conditions of Mars and further determine whether it could sustain life. Image from NASA Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Artist’s render of MSL on Mars. Back to Table of Contents

MSL landing with “sky-crane.” TIMELINE September or October 2009: MSL launches. Summer 2010: MSL lands on the surface of Mars. 2012: MSL will end operations. Image from NASA Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Back to Table of Contents MSL landing with “sky-crane.”

SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES To detect any carbon-based compounds. To determine whether life could be sustained on Mars. To study the distribution of water. To investigate the nature and history of Mars’s atmosphere. To investigate the processes that formed and modified rocks on the surface. Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Image from NASA MSL drilling. Back to Table of Contents

MSL’s landing sequence. SPACECRAFT The rover is twice as long and four times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity. Upon landing, MSL will separate from its shell and eventually be lowered by a sky-crane, which will help the rover land softly. http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/images/Entry2.jpg Image from NASA MSL’s landing sequence. Back to Table of Contents

Environmental Sensors EQUIPMENT INDEX Equipment Index: Cameras Spectrometers Radiation Detectors Environmental Sensors Image from NASA Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html MSL Back to Table of Contents

CAMERAS MSL is equipped with three cameras: The Mast Camera (MastCam) can take high-def images and videos. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) takes close-up pictures of rocks and can identify minerals in samples. The Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) takes pictures of the surface during the spacecraft’s descent. Image from NASA Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html MastCam Back to Equipment Index

SPECTROMETERS MSL is equipped with four spectrometers: The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) uses X-Rays to determine the chemical composition of samples. Laser-Induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and Micro-Imaging (ChemCam) uses a laser to vaporize materials and then identifies the type and composition of the rock being studied. Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction (CheMin) measures the abundances of minerals. The Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Suite (SAM) studies the abundances of various isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Image from NASA http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/images/ChemCam2.jpg ChemCam in action. Back to Equipment Index

An illustration of how DAN works. RADIATION DETECTORS MSL is equipped with two radiation detectors: The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) measures and identifies radiation in Mars’s atmosphere. Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) shoots neutrons underground to detect if they are absorbed by water. If there is no water, the neutrons should reflect back at a rapid rate. Image from NASA http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/images/Water_ice_diagram.jpg An illustration of how DAN works. Back to Equipment Index

ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) measures atmospheric pressure, humidity, temperature, wind speed and direction, and ultraviolet radiation. Image from NASA http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/images/rems_2.jpg REMS Back to Equipment Index

Artist’s render of MSL on Mars. LINKS http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/msl.html http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Image from NASA Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html Artist’s render of MSL on Mars. Back to Table of Contents