More at: scitech.quickfound.net The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Transporting a Mars Rover 11.16.11 A look at getting the Curiosity rover from its birthplace at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. www.jpl.nasa.gov Spacecraft Cruise vehicle dimensions (cruise stage and aeroshell with rover and descent stage inside): Diameter: 14 feet, 9 inches (4.5 meters); height: 9 feet, 8 inches (3 meters) Rover name: Curiosity Rover dimensions: Length: 9 feet, 10 inches (3.0 meters) (not counting arm); width: 9 feet, 1 inch (2.8 meters); height at top of mast: 7 feet (2.1 meters); arm length: 7 feet (2.1 meters); wheel diameter: 20 inches (0.5 meter) Mass: 8463 pounds (3893 kilograms) total at launch, consisting of 1982-pound (899-kilogram) rover; 5293-pound (2401-kilogram) entry, descent and landing system (aeroshell plus fueled descent stage); and 1188-pound (539-kilogram) fueled cruise stage Power for rover: Multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator and lithium-ion batteries Science payload: 165 pounds (75 kilograms) in 10 instruments: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, Chemistry and Camera, Chemistry and Mineralogy, Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, Mars Descent Imager, Mars Hand Lens Imager, Mast Camera, Radiation Assessment Detector, Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, and Sample Analysis at Mars Launch Vehicle Type: Atlas V 541 Height with payload: 191 feet (58 meters) Mass, fully fueled, with …
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