Viking Gallery

Mars Science Laboratory landing site

Target landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission rover, Curiosity. The target is within Gale Crater, near the foor of Mount Sharp. The larger target was revised down to the smaller area in early June 2012. The rover, which weighs over 900 kilograms, has a robotic arm to collect samples and a camera on a 2.1 metre tall mast. The MSL was launched on 26th November 2011 and is due to land on Mars on 6th August 2012 on a mission to determine if Mars is, or was ever, able to support microbial life. Image obtained using data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the Mars Express Orbiter, the Context Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Viking Orbiter

© NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ESA/DLR/FU BERLIN/MSSS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY