Curiosity Will Land in Gale Crater

Officials at the American space agency have finally decided where the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity will land. As analysts indicated as much as a month ago, Gale Crater was selected as the destination, due to the tremendous science return benefits it promises.

The selection process was extremely tough. Of the dozens of candidate sites proposed initially, only four were approved for further consideration back in 2008. Earlier this year, experts narrowed this number down to two – Eberswalde crater and Gale crater.

According to scientists on the decision panel, both locations are extremely well-suited for the type of science Curiosity will be conducting. There are only minute differences between them but, in the end, it was Gale's diverse environmental settings that gave it an edge over its competitor.

The first launch window for the MSL lasts between November 25 and December 18. NASA plans to launch the mission from Launch Complex 41 (LC-41) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), in Florida. An Atlas V delivery system will be used for Curiosity.

Mission controllers say that the trip to Mars should last for about 8 months and a half. The rover will land on the surface of the Red Planet in August 2012, and will immediately begin a rigorous testing and commissioning phase.

“We are going to the mountain at Gale crater. It exhibits three different kinds of environmental settings, perhaps the trilogy of Mars history. It's a worthy goal, a worthy challenge for such a capable rover,” explained Michael Watkins.

The expert holds an appointment as an MSL project engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California. He made the announcement during a press conference held today, July 22.

“Mars is firmly in our sights. Curiosity not only will return a wealth of important science data, but it will serve as a precursor mission for human exploration to the Red Planet,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement, quoted by Space.

The 96-mile (154-kilometer) wide crater has a massive mountain at its center. Layers of material on the slope of this mountain are promising to shed more light into the planet's distant climate history. Experts could see millions to billions of years into Mars' past.

“Scientists identified Gale as their top choice to pursue the ambitious goals of this new rover mission. The site offers a visually dramatic landscape and also great potential for significant science findings,” NASA Headquarters Planetary Science Division director Jim Green concluded.