May 25, 2011 07:45 GMT  ·  By
This CG image shows the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity studying rocks on the Red Planet
   This CG image shows the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity studying rocks on the Red Planet

A slight miscalculation on the part of engineers working on the next Mars-bound NASA rover caused a crane lift to handle the back shell instrument improperly. A review of the affected areas revealed that the cover was fine, and that it had suffered no permanent damage.

The incident occurred at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, were scientists were preparing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity for its launch. The mission is currently in its final preparatory phases.

The back shell is a critical component of the MSL mission, as it's a part of the aeroshell that will protect the nearly 1-ton rover as it descends at supersonic speeds through the Red Planet's atmosphere.

Given that the aeroshell built for this mission is the most complex ever, and that the rover itself is one of the most advanced pieces of equipment ever sent to space, it stands to reason that everyone at the KSC assembly facility stopped breathing when the incident occurred, on Friday, May 20.

A structural assessment of the back shell, conducted on Monday, May 23, revealed no signs of damage to component. This means that NASA will not have to reschedule the rover's launch, as some have proposed over the weekend.

The incident took place as a crane lifted the back shell. Instruments designed to measure the mechanical loads placed on the interfaces connecting the components to its ground support equipment showed excessively-high readings.

At this point, the rover is scheduled to launch during a window of opportunity that extends between November 25 and December 18, 2011. After spending a few months in space, it will reach the Red Planet in August 2012.

Curiosity is a nuclear-powered, Mini Cooper-sized rover that features the most advanced capabilities of any NASA robotic exploration mission to date. In addition to internal ovens for exobiology research, it also features 3D panoramic cameras and lasers designed to vaporize rocks.

“During a two-year mission on Mars, Curiosity will investigate whether a selected area of Mars has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life and for preserving evidence about life,” experts from the Pasadena, California-based NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) say.

The Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, will manage MSL and Curiosity. The team here is also managing the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity.