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Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission: NASA's Curiosity rover lands on Mars, 6th August 2012

nasa tv will be covering it live
www.nasa.gov/ntv


There won't be much to watch besides excited engineers and 3d simulations. First images probably won't arrive until some hours later.
 
It'll probably be a few days until they get the data back, but there's a downward-pointing camera which will be recording 5 fps from heatshield jettison all the way to landing. That will be a very cool video :)
 
NASA TV coverage starts 0430 BST (hint: the JPL public channel will have an uninterrupted clean feed of the entire mission).

Landing time is 0630-0632BST as it's a guided descent profile and timing will obviously vary with the dynamics of the atmosphere at the time. That timing is Earth received time (ie accounts for the 13.8 minutes the data take to reach Earth). It will actually be mid-late afternoon on Mars at the landing site.

First images will be low resolution wide angle thumbnails from the hazard evaluation cameras, which could be received several minutes after touchdown. Images from the descent are scheduled the day after landing, colour images of landing site 2 days after. The first high resolution panorama is due towards the end of the first week.

Note that direct signals from the descending craft will be received on Earth for the first few minutes of the descent but then the Earth sets (from Mars). Subsequent data should be relayed by Mars Odyssey after touchdown but in some scenarios (eg local topography blocking signals) it is possible that no data will be received until the second (or more) day after landing.
 
2hats said:
To the OP: should work. The engineering is sound and most has been demonstrated before. Hopefully they have covered all scenarios with the guidance software and thoroughly tested it...
Click to expand...
Where has it been demonstrated?. I can't believe they're spending so much money and putting in all that effort with untried technology.
 
sleaterkinney said:
Where has it been demonstrated?. I can't believe they're spending so much money and putting in all that effort with untried technology.
Click to expand...

Bits & pieces tried & tested previously (Viking, Apollo, etc). All apparently has worked. Thumbnails arriving.
 
B8mDT.gif
 
673470main_msl-3_428-321.jpg

673475main_msl4-428.jpg

First pics


This is the first image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). It was taken through a "fisheye" wide-angle lens on one of the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance cameras at one-quarter of full resolution. The clear dust cover on the camera is still on in this view, and dust can be seen around its edge, along with three cover fasteners. The rover's shadow is visible in the foreground.
As planned, the rover's early engineering images are lower resolution. Larger color images are expected later in the week when the rover's mast, carrying high-resolution cameras, is deployed.
Click to expand...
 
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was successful in taking a photo of MSL during descent! They'll release the images at a press briefing at 9am PT (5pm UK). Here's a similar photo of the Phoenix lander descending under its parachute on 25th May 2008.

PSP_008579_9020.jpg

MSL is much bigger, so should be an even more impressive shot :)
 
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