nasa lands rover on mars in search of life’s building blocks
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

NASA lands rover on Mars in search of life’s building blocks

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today NASA lands rover on Mars in search of life’s building blocks

California - AFP

NASA opened a new chapter in the history of interplanetary exploration Monday when its $2.5 billion nuclear-powered robot Curiosity beamed back pictures from the surface of Mars. The 1-ton mobile lab is the largest rover ever sent to Mars, and its high-speed landing was the most daring to date, using a rocket-powered sky crane to lower the six-wheeled vehicle gently to the Red Planet’s surface. “Touchdown confirmed,” said a member of mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as scientists hugged each other and the room erupted in cheers late Sunday. “We are wheels down on Mars. Oh, my God,” the NASA member said. A dusty image of Curiosity’s wheel, taken from a camera on the vehicle, confirmed the arrival of the rover and its sophisticated toolkit designed to hunt for signs that life once existed there. A second image arrived within seconds, showing the shadow of the rover on the Martian surface. The official landing time was 10:32 p.m. Sunday on the U.S. West Coast, according to a NASA statement. The nuclear-powered rover is now set for a two-year mission to explore the Red Planet, including a long climb up a mountain to analyze sediment layers that are up to a billion years old. When the landing was announced after a tense, seven-minute entry, descent and landing, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory filled with jubilation as the mission team cheered and exchanged Mars chocolate bars. President Barack Obama described the landing as “an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future.” Charles Bolden, the NASA administrator, applauded all the other nations – such as France and Australia – whose scientists contributed to experiments on board the rover’s Mars Science Lab. Success had been anything but certain. NASA’s more recent rover drop-offs involved smaller craft that were cushioned with the help of airbags. In the final moments, the MSL craft accelerated with the pull of gravity as it neared Mars’s atmosphere, made a fiery entry at 21,240 kilometers per hour and then slowed with the help of a supersonic parachute. After that, an elaborate sky crane powered by rocket blasters kicked in, and the rover was lowered down by nylon tethers, apparently landing upright on all six wheels. Scientists do not expect Curiosity to find aliens or living creatures, but they hope to use it to analyze soil and rocks for signs the building blocks of life may have supported life in the past. The project also aims to study the environment to prepare for a possible human mission there.  

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nasa lands rover on mars in search of life’s building blocks nasa lands rover on mars in search of life’s building blocks

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nasa lands rover on mars in search of life’s building blocks nasa lands rover on mars in search of life’s building blocks

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 05:22 2015 Monday ,02 February

Djokovic, Serena live up to top billing

GMT 17:23 2015 Wednesday ,08 April

22 dead in rebel shelling on Yemen's Aden

GMT 13:32 2017 Sunday ,23 April

Strike hits makeshift Syria ‘cave’ hospital

GMT 12:49 2017 Friday ,27 October

Key events since Catalonia's independence vote

GMT 13:12 2011 Tuesday ,13 September

International cartoon festival to open in S China

GMT 13:08 2017 Saturday ,02 December

Russia breathe sigh of relief

GMT 15:29 2012 Thursday ,08 March

NBA: Cleveland 100, Denver 99

GMT 18:03 2016 Tuesday ,09 February

Police Academy will remain training African cadres

GMT 03:27 2013 Wednesday ,06 February

New Citroen DS3 Cabrio

GMT 13:13 2011 Friday ,16 December

Hyundai i-oniq Concept for Geneva 2012

GMT 14:56 2011 Thursday ,15 December

Buick Teases New Encore Crossover

GMT 16:54 2014 Wednesday ,16 July

Mali government 'ready to go far' in peace talks

GMT 09:14 2012 Sunday ,19 August

Sofia Vergara in figure hugging dress
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday