Mars Science Lab prepares for course correction
Posted: Sun, Jan 8, 2012, 8:55 AM ET (1355 GMT)
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft is scheduled to perform a course correction this week that will put the probe on track for a landing on Mars this August. The maneuver, the biggest planned during the cruise phase of the mission, will be performed by the spacecraft's eight thrusters, firing in a sequence over nearly three hours starting at 6 pm EST (2300 GMT) on January 11. The thruster burn will change the spacecraft's speed by 5.5 meters per second, putting the spacecraft on course to land in Gale Crater on Mars in early August. MSL was successfully launched in November on an Atlas V rocket but intentionally put on course that, without the maneuver, would cause it to miss Mars. This prevents the spacecraft's upper stage, which was not subject to the same sterilization procedures as the spacecraft, from impacting Mars.
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft is scheduled to perform a course correction this week that will put the probe on track for a landing on Mars this August. The maneuver, the biggest planned during the cruise phase of the mission, will be performed by the spacecraft's eight thrusters, firing in a sequence over nearly three hours starting at 6 pm EST (2300 GMT) on January 11. The thruster burn will change the spacecraft's speed by 5.5 meters per second, putting the spacecraft on course to land in Gale Crater on Mars in early August. MSL was successfully launched in November on an Atlas V rocket but intentionally put on course that, without the maneuver, would cause it to miss Mars. This prevents the spacecraft's upper stage, which was not subject to the same sterilization procedures as the spacecraft, from impacting Mars.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, September 13
Thales, Airbus, Leonardo eye initial agreement on 10 bln-euro satellite JV, sources say
Reuters — 4:41 am ET (0841 GMT) Hubble Surveys Cloudy Cluster
NASA/GSFC — 4:34 am ET (0834 GMT) Artemis II Crew to Advance Human Spaceflight Research
NASA — 4:34 am ET (0834 GMT) Space Cargo Out for Delivery Days Before Next Resupply Mission Launches
NASA — 4:33 am ET (0833 GMT) NASA Awards Third Glenn Facility and Engineering Services Contract
NASA — 4:33 am ET (0833 GMT) |
