NASA is currently going through the final paces of introducing their most advanced rover yet, where it is set to launch in the direction of Mars this coming November 25th. The rover is aptly named Curiosity, where it will make its way to the Red Planet by an Atlas V rocket. As for said rocket, that is already awaiting liftoff at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Curiousity is not going to be lightweight in anyway, tipping the scales at a rather massive one ton, measuring double the length of the earlier Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Apart from that, it will also come with a 7-feet mast which will hold cameras and a laser-firing instrument so that it can help study targets from a distance. Not only that, there is also a 7-foot-long arm which can study targets from a much closer perspective.
At the moment, we do know that the rover will be able to carry around 10 scientific instruments in total, and is also smart enough to determine the composition of rock and soil samples, pick up weather information and measure radiation levels. The entire journey will take around nine months if all the planets are aligned, so August 2012 should be a viable touchdown date where it will then get to work for man’s next frontier.