1
00:00:11,589 --> 00:00:09,350
nasa's newest mars rover curiosity began

2
00:00:14,150 --> 00:00:11,599
its launch site preparation in florida

3
00:00:15,910 --> 00:00:14,160
on may 12 2011.

4
00:00:17,990 --> 00:00:15,920
that's when the first three elements of

5
00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:18,000
the spacecraft officially known as the

6
00:00:22,070 --> 00:00:20,160
mars science laboratory were delivered

7
00:00:25,189 --> 00:00:22,080
to kennedy space center shuttle landing

8
00:00:26,470 --> 00:00:25,199
facility aboard an air force c-17 cargo

9
00:00:28,630 --> 00:00:26,480
plane

10
00:00:30,310 --> 00:00:28,640
after the cruise stage back shell and

11
00:00:32,069 --> 00:00:30,320
heat shield were unloaded and

12
00:00:34,470 --> 00:00:32,079
transported to the payload hazardous

13
00:00:36,389 --> 00:00:34,480
surfacing facility processing got

14
00:00:38,549 --> 00:00:36,399
underway

15
00:00:40,950 --> 00:00:38,559
technicians installed a solar array

16
00:00:43,030 --> 00:00:40,960
panel to the cruise stage and processed

17
00:00:45,350 --> 00:00:43,040
the spacecraft's back shell

18
00:00:47,270 --> 00:00:45,360
the back shell carries the parachute and

19
00:00:49,830 --> 00:00:47,280
several components used during later

20
00:00:51,110 --> 00:00:49,840
stages of entry descent and landing of

21
00:00:53,510 --> 00:00:51,120
the rover

22
00:00:55,990 --> 00:00:53,520
the aeroshell comprising the back shell

23
00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:56,000
and the heat shield was tested on a spin

24
00:00:59,910 --> 00:00:57,920
table before technicians used an

25
00:01:01,590 --> 00:00:59,920
overhead crane to separate the two

26
00:01:04,630 --> 00:01:01,600
components

27
00:01:06,469 --> 00:01:04,640
on june 22nd a cargo plane arrived at

28
00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:06,479
kennedy carrying the rover and the

29
00:01:09,510 --> 00:01:08,400
spacecraft's rocket-powered descent

30
00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:09,520
stage

31
00:01:15,510 --> 00:01:13,040
during the final moments before its

32
00:01:17,429 --> 00:01:15,520
landing on the martian surface

33
00:01:19,510 --> 00:01:17,439
after transportation to the servicing

34
00:01:21,190 --> 00:01:19,520
facility technicians removed the

35
00:01:23,670 --> 00:01:21,200
protective wrapping from the descent

36
00:01:24,950 --> 00:01:23,680
stage thrusters for documenting and

37
00:01:26,870 --> 00:01:24,960
inspection

38
00:01:29,510 --> 00:01:26,880
the rover itself was removed from its

39
00:01:31,109 --> 00:01:29,520
protective carrier and moved by crane to

40
00:01:33,590 --> 00:01:31,119
a work stand

41
00:01:36,469 --> 00:01:33,600
the rover's processing and testing began

42
00:01:38,310 --> 00:01:36,479
including a series of rotation tests

43
00:01:40,550 --> 00:01:38,320
the wheels as well as the instrument

44
00:01:43,030 --> 00:01:40,560
mast and science boom were put through a

45
00:01:45,030 --> 00:01:43,040
series of deployment tests

46
00:01:46,710 --> 00:01:45,040
enclosed in a shipping cask the

47
00:01:48,789 --> 00:01:46,720
spacecraft's power generating

48
00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:48,799
multi-mission radio isotope thermal

49
00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:50,880
electric generator arrived at kennedy

50
00:01:56,630 --> 00:01:53,040
june 30th and was moved to a storage

51
00:01:58,230 --> 00:01:56,640
facility where workers removed the cask

52
00:02:00,469 --> 00:01:58,240
a fit check of the generator was

53
00:02:02,789 --> 00:02:00,479
conducted in july

54
00:02:04,389 --> 00:02:02,799
also in july the rover's launch vehicle

55
00:02:06,950 --> 00:02:04,399
began to take shape

56
00:02:09,430 --> 00:02:06,960
a united launch alliance atlas v with

57
00:02:11,510 --> 00:02:09,440
four solid rocket boosters attached will

58
00:02:12,550 --> 00:02:11,520
loft the mars science laboratory into

59
00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:12,560
space

60
00:02:17,030 --> 00:02:15,040
the atlas v first stage and centaur

61
00:02:19,110 --> 00:02:17,040
second stage were offloaded from the

62
00:02:20,790 --> 00:02:19,120
delta mariner transport ship at port

63
00:02:23,430 --> 00:02:20,800
canaveral just a few miles from the

64
00:02:25,510 --> 00:02:23,440
launch site they were transported to

65
00:02:27,110 --> 00:02:25,520
cape canaveral air force station and

66
00:02:29,350 --> 00:02:27,120
delivered to the atlas space flight

67
00:02:32,390 --> 00:02:29,360
operations center

68
00:02:34,229 --> 00:02:32,400
a crane was used to position the 106 and

69
00:02:36,630 --> 00:02:34,239
a half foot long stage inside the

70
00:02:38,390 --> 00:02:36,640
integration facility and lower it onto

71
00:02:40,790 --> 00:02:38,400
its launch platform

72
00:02:42,869 --> 00:02:40,800
several days later technicians began the

73
00:02:45,589 --> 00:02:42,879
installation of the four solid rocket

74
00:02:48,070 --> 00:02:45,599
motors using a lifting device to elevate

75
00:02:50,229 --> 00:02:48,080
them to an upright position

76
00:02:51,830 --> 00:02:50,239
an overhead crane lifted the centaur

77
00:02:53,750 --> 00:02:51,840
upper stage of the rocket and

78
00:02:55,110 --> 00:02:53,760
technicians attached it to the lower

79
00:02:57,350 --> 00:02:55,120
stage

80
00:02:59,589 --> 00:02:57,360
in the payload processing facility the

81
00:03:01,589 --> 00:02:59,599
dual sections of the atlas v payload

82
00:03:04,070 --> 00:03:01,599
fairing that will protect the spacecraft

83
00:03:05,430 --> 00:03:04,080
during launch and ascent were prepared

84
00:03:07,190 --> 00:03:05,440
technicians helped guide the

85
00:03:09,830 --> 00:03:07,200
rocket-powered descent stage over

86
00:03:11,509 --> 00:03:09,840
curiosity for integration

87
00:03:13,190 --> 00:03:11,519
then they positioned the back shell as

88
00:03:15,030 --> 00:03:13,200
it was lowered over the rover for

89
00:03:16,949 --> 00:03:15,040
encapsulation

90
00:03:19,030 --> 00:03:16,959
technicians cleaned the fairing acoustic

91
00:03:22,070 --> 00:03:19,040
protection system to meet nasa's

92
00:03:24,149 --> 00:03:22,080
planetary protection requirements

93
00:03:27,350 --> 00:03:24,159
the spacecraft's cruise stage was joined

94
00:03:29,509 --> 00:03:27,360
to the aeroshell containing curiosity

95
00:03:31,589 --> 00:03:29,519
the cruise stage provides solar power

96
00:03:33,350 --> 00:03:31,599
thrusters for navigation and heat

97
00:03:35,430 --> 00:03:33,360
exchangers to the rover during its

98
00:03:37,670 --> 00:03:35,440
flight from earth to mars

99
00:03:39,750 --> 00:03:37,680
the spacecraft was then enclosed between

100
00:03:41,750 --> 00:03:39,760
the two halves of the payload fairing

101
00:03:44,869 --> 00:03:41,760
and placed on a transporter for the move

102
00:03:47,190 --> 00:03:44,879
to space launch complex 41.

103
00:03:49,350 --> 00:03:47,200
as dawn broke on november 3rd the

104
00:03:51,830 --> 00:03:49,360
payload was ready to be lifted at space

105
00:03:53,429 --> 00:03:51,840
launch complex 41's vertical integration

106
00:03:55,589 --> 00:03:53,439
facility

107
00:03:57,990 --> 00:03:55,599
once atop the rocket the payload was

108
00:04:00,630 --> 00:03:58,000
attached and the radioisotope thermal

109
00:04:02,309 --> 00:04:00,640
electric generator was installed

110
00:04:05,030 --> 00:04:02,319
with its final earthbound journey

111
00:04:07,270 --> 00:04:05,040
completed the rover curiosity and its

112
00:04:08,149 --> 00:04:07,280
atlas v launch vehicle were ready for

113
00:04:09,509 --> 00:04:08,159
launch