A new Mars Science Laboratory animation video demonstrates how the rover will enter, descend and land on the surface of Mars following launch in 2011. Upon landing in 2012 it will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability" [video].The rover's onboard laboratory will study rocks, soils, and the local geologic setting in order to detect chemical building blocks of life (e.g., forms of carbon) on Mars and will assess what the martian environment was like in the past. It may be called upon to explore Martian mud volcanos.
The rover will analyze dozens of samples scooped from the soil and drilled from rocks. The record of the planet's climate and geology is essentially "written in the rocks and soil" -- in their formation, structure, and chemical composition [video].
Readers may opt to send your name to The Red Planet with the Mars Science Laboratory. You may even want to cast a last minute vote to name the rover!
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