Official News page 3

LIFT-OFF TO MARS

by Hazed

As I write this, NASA's new mission to Mars is due to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The Mars Science Laborority is a rover that has been dubbed Curiosity (an apt name). It is the size of an SUV, has six wheels and is powered by nuclear fuel, so it won't be reliant on the weak sunshine to keep moving around on Mars.

Curiosity will be launched on an Atlas V rocket, and will take nine months to reach Mars, where it will use its robotic arm, drill, and ten science instruments to examine rock samples.

Read more about Curiosity and see some pictures of the rover here.

Stop press: Curiosity has lifted off, and here's a video of the launch.

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