Mars Science Laboratory Rover

Original design by Stephen Pakbaz

Mission information and images from

NASA/JPL: mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Support the model on LEGO CUUSOO.

Digital instructions are also available:

lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/3431

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The Mars Science Laboratory Rover, named Curiosity, was launched by the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on November 26, 2011 and will land on Mars

on August 5, 2012, 10:31 PM PDT. The mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL).

The primary goal is to investigate the habitability of Mars, including past and present

conditions favorable to life. Curiosity will also study the geology, climate, and plan for future

human exploration. The mission is designed to last for one Martian year, 687 Earth days

(669 Martian days), but has the potential to continue for many years afterwards.

Curiosity has many instruments and tools available to accomplish this mission. Some of

these tools include cameras, scoops, drills, and a high powered infrared laser used to

vaporize rock samples. The instruments will analyze rocks, minerals, gases, organic

compounds, water/ice, weather, and radiation.

Gale Crater is the chosen landing site for

Curiosity. This Martian feature, located near the

equator, is over 96 miles (154 kilometers) in

diameter and was formed over 3 billion years

ago. The mountain at the center of the crater

reaches a height of 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers)

above the crater floor. It is made up of a series

of layered deposits. Curiosity will investigate

these layers as it drives up, starting with the

older material at the bottom and reaching newer

layers as it travels higher.

The Mission

The Destination

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A Lab on Wheels

Locations of several science instruments

and major subsystems on the NASA Mars

rover Curiosity are indicated. These include

(clockwise from left): Rover Environmental

Monitoring Station (REMS); Mast Camera

(Mastcam); Chemistry and Camera

(ChemCam); Rover ultra high-frequency

(RUHF) antenna; Multi-mission radioisotope

thermoelectric generator (MMRTG); Rover

low-gain (RLGA) antenna; high-gain

antenna; Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons

(DAN); mobility system (wheels and

suspension); Radiation Assessment

Detector (RAD); Mars Descent Imager

(MARDI); turret (see larger image for tools

on the turret at the end of the robotic arm);

and robotic arm. Two science instruments

— Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and

Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) — are

inside the body of the rover.

Locations of tools on the turret that is

mounted on Curiosity’s arm are indicated.

These include (clockwise from upper left):

the drill for acquiring powdered samples

from interiors of rocks; the Alpha Particle X-

ray Spectrometer (APXS); the sample

processing subsystem named Collection

and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock

Analysis (CHIMRA), which includes a

scoop for acquiring soil samples; the Dust

Removal Tool (DRT) for brushing rock

surfaces clean; and the Mars Hand Lens

Imager (MAHLI).

ChemCam RUHF

Antenna MMRTG

RLGA

Antenna

Mastcam

REMS

RAD

High Gain

Antenna

DAN

Mobility

System

MARDI Turret

Robotic

Arm

APXS CHIMR

A

Drill

DRT

MAHLI

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Size Curiosity is about the size of a small SUV – about 10 feet (3 meters) long, 9 feet (2.7

meters) wide, 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall, and weighs over 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). The

robotic arm has a reach of about 7 feet (2.2 meters).

Power Instead of using solar panels to provide power, Curiosity uses a Multi-Mission Radioisotope

Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). Located at the back of the rover, it uses the heat

given off by the natural decay of Plutonium dioxide and converts it directly into electricity.

This power source can keep the rover operating for well over a decade.

Mobility The rover handles the rough Martian terrain using a rocker-bogie suspension system. A

differential mechanism connects the left and right sides of the suspension system. This

allows Curiosity to keep all six wheels on the ground and keep its body balanced. It can

climb over obstacles larger than the 20 inch (50 centimeter) diameter of its wheels. The

rover has a top speed of 1.5 inches per second (4 centimeters per second).

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Entry, Descent, and Landing

“Seven Minutes of Terror”

1. Guided Entry: The rover begins its

descent into the Martian atmosphere

protected by a heat shield and cone-shaped

aeroshell. Small rockets are used to control

the descent.

2. Parachute Descent: A large parachute,

deployed at supersonic speeds, will help to

slow down the Rover as it approaches the

surface.

3. Powered Descent: The Descent Stage,

attached to the top of the Rover, will use its

rockets to bring the Rover the rest of the

way to the surface

4. Sky Crane: Once near the

ground, the Descent Stage will lower

the Rover on a set of cables. This is

called the Sky-Crane maneuver.

5. Flyaway: When the Rover has

been set down, the cables are cut

and the Descent Stage flies away to

crash at a safe distance from the

Rover.

The process of landing, beginning from entering the atmosphere, to touchdown on the

surface, is accomplished autonomously in seven nail-biting minutes.

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MAST

The mast includes high-

definition cameras and a

laser-equipped, spectrum

reading camera that can hit

a rock with a laser and

observe the resulting spark

for information about what

chemical elements are in

the rock.

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RADIOISOTOPE

THERMOELECTRIC

GENERATOR (RTG)

The RTG uses the energy

from the natural decay of

Plutonium-238 dioxide to

provide Curiosity with 110

watts of power and is

designed to last for a

minimum of 14 years.

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Robotic arm in stowed position. Delivering soil to sample inlets.

ROBOTIC ARM

The Turret at the end of

the Robotic Arm contains

a spectrometer, brush,

camera, drill , and a

color camera with a

resolution of less than

one-thousandth of an

inch (14 microns). The

arm is also used to grind

up rock samples and

deliver them to the SAM

and CheMin instruments

inside the body of the

rover for analysis.

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ROCKER-BOGIE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

The rover body is balanced on the rocker-bogie

suspension through an offset-differential arm that

runs across the top of the rover, connecting the

left and right sides of the suspension. This helps

to minimize the tilt of the rover body as it travels

over uneven terrain. This system also allows the

rover to keep all six wheels on the ground and

climb over rocks that are taller than its 20 inch (50

cm) diameter wheels.

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