MSL Rocketry

Atlas V Rocket: Fuel and Oxygen tanks feed and engine for the ascent and powers spacecraft into Earth orbit, 4 solid rocket motors. Centaur: Fuel and oxidizer and the vehicle's brains. It fires twice, once to insert the vehicle-spacecraft stack into low earth atmosphere, then again to accelerate the spacecraft towards Mars. Payload fairing, a thin composite or nose cone to protect the spacecraft.

MSL Rocketry

The launch window for the curiosity rocket is from 11/25 to 12/18. To escape earths gravity the rocket must travel at 11.2 km/sec. It will take the spaceship 9 months to get to Mars.

Parts of the Rocket

Steer in a series of S-curves during the descent of mars atmosphere. 3 minutes before take down a parachute is used to slow down the rocket. Retro rockets are also used to slow down the spacecraft. In the final seconds the used a sky crane to lower the upright rover onto land. There is a target area of 12 miles long.

EDL (Entry, Descent Landing)

Figure 2. The Atlas V rocket taking off

Figure 3. Spacecraft using the retro rockets to slow down its descent

Figure 1. Spacecraft using the sky crane to lower the rover

Video 1. The landing process of the Curiosity rover

How can we escape Earths atmosphere and land a rover on Mars