Stephen Colbert discusses NASA's Mars rover Curiosity - The Bell Jar [fornadablog.blogspot.com]

Stephen Colbert discusses NASA's Mars rover Curiosity - The Bell Jar [fornadablog.blogspot.com]

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[fornadablog.blogspot.com], Stephen Colbert discusses NASA's Mars rover Curiosity - The Bell Jar

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NASA’s John Grunsfeld appeared on the Colbert Report on Wednesday, where he discussed NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.

Even Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert is getting excited about NASA’s upcoming landing on the surface of Mars.

John Grunsfeld, a former veteran astronaut and NASA’s associate administrator for science missions, spoke with Mr. Colbert about the Curiosity rover’s landing, discussing the upcoming days that will include one of the U.S. space agency’s most ambitious missions to date.

Speaking Wednesday, “The Colbert Report” host discussed the Sunday landing with one of NASA’s top officials, saying that the risky landing was close to science-fiction.

“That’s not science fiction â€" that’s really going to happen on Monday,” said Mr. Colbert upon seeing an animation of the seven minute landing sequence.

Speaking with Mr. Colbert, Mr. Grunsfeld explained that the spacecraft will hit the Martian atmosphere where it will begin its descent.

“As it enters the atmosphere, it will start slowing down,” Mr. Grunsfeld explained. “It will reach about 10 Gs of acceleration.”

Joking, Mr. Colbert said the speeds being discussed were exception, adding that he considered NASA’s ability to overcome such challenges as an example for the news industry.

“That’s faster than NBC can tell us what’s happening in London. That’s impressive,” joked Mr. Colbert.

NASA’s Curiosity is scheduled to land on the surface of Mars at 1:31 a.m. EDT on August 6. The landing is one of the most challenging faced by NASA spacecraft yet, and relies on a never-before-used “sky crane” technique. The rover is too large to use the parachute or cushioning techniques previously employed, and so must take a new approach in order to land safely on the Martian surface.

The Mars Science Laboratory continues its final preparations for entry, descent and landing this upcoming weekend. On Wednesday, the flight team completed and confirmed a memory test on the software for the mechanical assembly that controls MSL’s descent motor. They also configured the spacecraft for its transition to entry, descent and landing approach mode, and they enabled the spacecraft’s hardware pyrotechnic devices. MSL is now under the control of the autonomous entry, descent and landing timeline flight software, says NASA.

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