KSC-2011-6983

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Under the night sky at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the final solid rocket motor (SRM) for lifting into the Vertical Integration Facility. The SRM will be mated to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket being prepared to launch NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann