Mars Science Laboratory 5th August 2012 In less than 24 hours, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will arrive at the Red Planet and attempt to land on the surface. Known as Curiosity, this robot is by far the largest and most sophisticated ever sent to Mars - about twice as long and five times as heavy as the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, with ten times the mass of scientific instruments.
Although some previous missions have used airbags to cushion the shock of landing, Curiosity is simply too heavy for this to be an option. Instead, it will set down on the Martian surface using a new high-precision entry, descent and landing (EDL) system, featuring the largest supersonic parachute ever built:
If successful, it will land in Gale Crater (located by the red dot in this map) at 05:31 UTC on Monday 6th August. This geological feature is 154 km (96 mi) in diameter and believed to be 3.5-3.8 billion years old. The main reason for choosing Gale crater was the 'mound' in the middle called Mount Sharp. This is about two-thirds the size of Mount Everest and a uniquely Martian feature. Its origins are unclear, but it appears to be an ancient pile of layered sediments that time and pressure have squeezed into a mountain of rock. Therefore, it offers a rare opportunity to study periods of Martian geologic history, perhaps as far back as when liquid water was present on Mars. Satellites have already indicated the presence of clay and sulphate-rich layers. The landing site itself (marked by a yellow ellipse in the image below) is a smooth region at the foot of the mountain. This contains material washed down from the crater wall, that will provide scientists with an opportunity to investigate rocks that form the bedrock in this area. The landing ellipse also contains a rock type that is very dense, very bright, and unlike any rock type previously investigated on Mars. It may be an ancient playa lake deposit, and it will likely be the mission's first target in checking for the presence of organic molecules.
Curiosity is designed to explore for at least 687 Earth days (1 Martian year) over a range of 5 by 20 km (3.1 by 12 mi), gradually climbing the mountain to study successive strata. Although its official planned mission duration is two years, the rover's plutonium battery will apparently last 14 years, so it may continue to operate well into the 2020s. Among its diverse scientific instruments is a ChemCam that can target rock or soil samples from up to 7 metres away and burn holes in them to determine their composition. It also includes the first video camera sent to another planet, which will record both the atmospheric descent and surface environment in full HD-quality. You can watch the landing as it happens at the NASA website. Real-time updates are also available at Twitter.
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Late in the night Gholson came to the union captain's bedside for Miss Harper. Charlotte had sent him; the doctor had left word what to do if a certain patient's wound should re-open, and this had happened. The three had succeeded in stanching it, but Charlotte had prevailed upon Miss Harper to lie down, and the weary lady had, against all her intentions, fallen asleep. I was alone with the wounded captain. He did not really sleep, but under the weight of his narcotics drowsed, muttered, stirred, moaned, and now and then spoke out. "You're right, Sam," said George Bynes, who had hit up many a century for his town in bygone days, "tain't cricket. Else it's a[Pg 28] fluke; the man didn't ought to be allowed to hold bat in his hand. It's spoiling other folks' sport." But the Clockwork man made no reply. He stood in the middle of the stage and slowly[Pg 96] lifted a finger to his nose. The Curate's doubts returned. Something seemed to occur to him as he examined his companion more closely. "You haven't been taking anything, my good man, have you? Anything of an alcholic nature?" Walk equal courses in their yearly round, I. ¡°There was no need. She had taken only the imitations¡ªthe ones you found.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Jeff remarked. ¡°This-here psychology I¡¯ve read about ain¡¯t so far wrong when it says that folks who gets the wrong slant on a thing comes to believe it so strong that even the truth looks like a fib to them.¡± Then he began to come to himself and to listen to all that Felipa had to tell him of the many things she had not put in her short and labored letters. He saw[Pg 140] that she looked more beautiful and less well than when he had left her. There was a shadow of weariness on her face that gave it a soft wistfulness which was altogether becoming. He supposed it was because she had nursed him untiringly, as she had; but it did not occur to him to thank her, because she had done only what was a wife's duty, only what he would have done for her if the case had been reversed. Toward the end of the day he began to wonder that no one had been to see him, and he spoke of it. The storm passed, with all the suddenness it had come on, and Felipa rose, and dressing herself quickly went out upon the porch. Three drenched kittens were mewing there piteously. She gathered them up in her hands and warmed them against her breast as she stood watching the earth and sky sob themselves to rest. All the petunias in the bed by the steps were full of rain, the crowfoot and madeira vines of the porch were stirring with the dripping water. Many great trees had had their branches snapped off and tossed several[Pg 307] yards away, and part of the windmill had been blown to the top of the stable, some distance off. She wondered if Cairness had been able to get the cut alfalfa covered. Then she took the kittens with her to the house and went into the kitchen, where the Chinese cook already had a fire in the stove. She ordered coffee and toast to be made at once, and leaving the kittens in the woodbox near the fire, went back to the sitting room. She gave a dry little sob of unutterable glad relief and tried to raise her voice and call to him, the call they used for one another when they rode about the ranch. But the sound was only a weak, low wail. "Yes; you're in nice shape to send to the guardhouse. I'd sent you there quick enough if you were well, for telling me such a preposterous lie. You've usually paid more respect to my intelligence by telling me stories that I could believe if I wanted to, as I usually wanted do; but this is too much." "And then something happened," Dr. Haenlingen said tightly. "I know." 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John Ball pressed on with the multitude; but the immediate proximity of the palace, where all was splendour and motion, was not to the liking of one who till that day had never even dreamed of such things as had now met his sight. His nerves were weak, and he felt irritated at the insolence with which the royal guards, and the pages of the nobles, drove back the populace. His body, too, was weak, and he felt exhausted with his long and fatiguing walk: slowly and sadly he at length retraced his steps to his humble dwelling in the Minories. HoMEÐÂÏÊÏã·¹µê¾©´ó·µêµç»° ENTER NUMBET 0016www.jzsbmall.com.cn