Photo Gallery: Curiosity rover inside clean room
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 13, 2011
The Mars Science Laboratory, NASA's next rover destined for the planet Mars, has completed functional testing inside a pristine clean room at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Next up for the $2.5 billion mission is the assembly of its major components, including the six-wheeled Curiosity rover, a high-tech descent and landing stage, and a robust heat shield and aerodynamic shell to shepherd the craft through the Martian atmosphere.
Liftoff aboard an Atlas 5 rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25. Touchdown on Mars will occur in August 2012.
Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
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