Day by day, hour by hour, the tension is building. NASA’s mega-mission to Mars and delivery of the Curiosity rover could be a smashing success … or just smashing.
The Mars Science Laboratory’s 1-ton Curiosity rover is factory-equipped with science gear to delve into whether Mars ever was — or might be today — an eco-friendly setting able to sustain microbial life.
A seven-minute, terrorizing plunge through the planet’s atmosphere awaits the spacecraft. MSL’s Curiosity rover is scheduled to touch down at Gale Crater at 10:30 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:30 a.m. EDT, 0530 GMT, Aug. 6).
http://www.space.com/16847-mars-rover-curiosity-landing-high-stakes.html