Mars Rover: How a Self-Portrait Captured the Power of Curiosity

Mars Rover: How a Self-Portrait Captured the Power of Curiosity book cover
Chapter One SEVEN TERRIFYING MINUTES Hundreds of people crowded into New York’s Times Square looking up at a huge screen after midnight on August 6 2012 They were hoping to see the next chapter in space exploration unfold Many more watched in science center auditoriums across the United States Millions watched online hoping for a glimpse of the surface of the planet that appears as a red dot in Earth’s sky Whether this chapter would end with triumph or disaster was anyone’s guess Almost nine months earlier the U S National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA had launched a spacecraft toward Mars with a wheeled robot packed inside For a decade engineers working on the Mars Science Lab mission labored over the design and construction of the one-ton rover which was named Curiosity The rover rests low on six wide wheels Scientific instruments are attached to its body and some cluster at the end of a mechanical arm Lenses and instruments mounted on its mast suggest a face The size of a small car the rover cost almost 2 5 billion the price of a movie ticket for every person in the United States according to mission geochemist Roger Wiens The public would get its money’s worth 1
Mars Rover: How a Self-Portrait Captured the Power of Curiosity

Mars Rover: How a Self-Portrait Captured the Power of Curiosity

Weighing as much as a small car, a rover named Curiosity rolls quietly around Mars. Scientific instruments pack its body and cluster at the end of a mechanical arm. An arrangement of lenses and instruments tops its mast, like a face. To the many NASA workers involved in Curiosity's mission on Mars, the rover is not simply a robot, but an astronaut bravely exploring an alien place. Curiosity's instruments collect data and its cameras take images of the Mars landscape, including self-portraits, in vivid color and detail. As it roams and explores, Curiosity will help find the answers to such age-old questions as has there ever been life on Mars? Could there be one day?

About This Book

By: Danielle Smith-Llera
Illustrated by:
Published by: Compass Point an imprint of Capstone
9-12Age Range
7.0 AR
54Pages
Science & NatureSubject
1060LLexile
45-60 minsReading Time
ZGuided Reading
ZFountas & Pinnell
80DRA