On August 5th , at 10:31 pm PDT , NASA will essay to down Curiosity — a one - gross ton , six - cycle - drive , nuclear - powered super - laboratory — on the surface of Mars . It is the most scientifically advanced rover ever built . It will be the most technically impressive landing procedure ever attempted . You do not need to miss this .
Remember : the landing itself is n’t happening until August 5th at 10:31 pm Pacific ( that ’s 1:31 a.m. , August 6 for your East Coasters ) . The rover is scheduled to enter the top of Mars ’ atmosphere at speeds in surplus of 13,000 miles per hour , at which spot it will decelerate , descend , and country on the major planet ’s surface all within a span of just seven minutes .
NASA engineer call these “ The Seven Minutes of Terror , ” and with good reason ; Curosity ’s ingress , blood line and landing ( EDL ) is the most case - meltingly awesome , ambitious , and unmanageable we ’ve ever attempted . Even more mettle - wracking : because it aim fourteen minutes for communication send by Curiosity to reach Earth , the rover will have been on the open of Mars for seven whole minutes before we have any idea if it ’s arrived safely or not . Just watch :
It ’s drop dead to be freak raging , mass . Curiosity is going to be take down to the planet ’s surface using a projectile - powered sky Hart Crane , for crying out loud . So come in Sunday dark , you ’ll want to be in one of four places :
If you ’re anywhere near Pasadena , CA , get thee to Planet Fest 2012 . It ’s being host by JPL and The Planetary Society , Bill Nye Will be there , there ’s become to be anXCOR Lynxon video display . entrust us , it ’ll be awesome . Not in Pasadena?Find out if there ’s another Planetfest Event being held near you .
If you ’re anywhere near New York City , you’re able to cumulate with thousands upon thousands of your closest friends in Times Square to watch the landing live on the city ’s ginormous LED TV screen . The broadcast will lead off Sunday night at at 11:30 p.m. and run until 4:00 a.m. Monday bright and early . Touchdown is scheduled for 1:31 in the morning .
Visit any one of hundreds of consequence being book around the country . Check with your local museum to see if they ’ll be host a landing place party , orhead over to NASA to see their staring itemisation of effect . JPL Has another extensive list of events , organized by country and nation .
NASA will be broadcasting the intact Curiosity landing place via webcast beginning August 5 at 8:30 p.m. PDT / 11:30 p.m. EDT . Watch it onNASA TV .
Starting tomorrow , NASA will be holding news briefings at JPL and broadcasting them live on NASA Television . The schedule of events is listed below , and is also availableover at NASA . All times are PDT .
Thursday , Aug. 2
— 10 a.m. – Mission Science Overview News Briefing
— 11 a.m. – Mission Engineering Overview News Briefing
Friday , Aug. 3
— 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – NASA Social
Saturday , Aug. 4
— 9:30 a.m. – Prelanding Update and Entry , Descent and Landing ( EDL ) Overview News Briefing
Sunday , Aug. 5
— 9:30 a.m. – Final Prelanding Update News Briefing
— 3 p.m. – NASA Science News Briefing
— 8:30 p.m. to about 11 p.m. – Landing Commentary No . 1
— No earlier than 11:15 p.m. – Post - landing News Briefing
Monday , Aug. 6
— 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. – Landing Commentary No . 2
— 9 a.m. – Landing Recap News Briefing
— 4 p.m. – Possible New Images News Briefing
Tuesday , Aug. 7
— 10 a.m. – News Briefing
Wednesday , Aug. 8
Thursday , Aug. 9
AstronomyMarsNASAScienceSpace
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