Mars Science Laboratory Rover Successfully Launched - Satellite Spotlight

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Featured Articles » Cord Avoiders a New Problem for Video Providers » NASA's Curiosity Mars Probes Lifts off for Long Voyage » High Drama for Russian, U.S. Mars Probes » Iridium Extends its Satellite AxcessPoint Service to iOS   Sponsored By: Satellite Spotlight Product of the Year Awards Satellite Spotlight is seeking entries for the 2011 Product of the Year Awards. Satellite's most innovative technologies are to be honored. Companies with products and services that successfully integrate innovation, quality and value to their customer's business are eligible. Apply today.   Top Stories » ABB Wins $5.5 Million R&D Contract from Canadian Space Agency » Technical Communications Corporation Reports Results for the Fiscal Year » Space Systems/Loral Announces the Arrival of SES Satellite at Baikonur Launch Base » Romance and Reality for SpaceX   From The Expert Corner November 28, 2011 Mars Science Laboratory Rover Successfully Launched By Doug Mohney, Contributing Editor NASA's most complex unmanned mission to Mars was successfully launched on November 26.   The Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V rocket at 10:02 a.m. EST and the Centaur upper stage successfully sent it along its way to a scheduled August 6, 2012 landing. About the size of a Mini-Cooper according to one NASA release, Curiosity's most risky feat will come when it hits the Martian atmosphere when it attempts to land on August 6, 2012. The mission is being used to pioneer precision landing technology and a unique never-before-tried sky-crane touchdown to put the rover near the foot of a mountain inside Gale Crater. A set of rocket motors on the crane will slow it and MSL to a hover above the surface, then lower the rover to the ground, before flying away and crashing nearby.   Previous landers have used a combination of parachutes and airbags to land on the surface, but the rover is too heavy for airbags. Once it lands, Curiosity will spend nearly two years exploring its immediate area to see if the region had the conditions to support bacterial life.   It will use a drill and scoop at the end of a nine foot long robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rocks to load into onboard lab instruments. There's also a laser to vaporize the tops of rock samples for analysis at a distance and an X-ray spectrometer for more close-up work... Read More   From The Blogs Samsung Mocks Apple Fanboys in Hilarious Galaxy S II Ad November 23, 2011 By: Tom Keating Business Insider's Steve Kovach has an interesting interview with Todd Pendleton, Samsung's Chief Marketing Officer, and Brian Wallace, Samsung's VP of Strategic Marketing, on a new ad campaign that mocks Apple fanboys and promotes Samsung's top-of-the-line Galaxy S II Android phone. Steve writes: I mostly use Apple gear, including an iPhone, and even I thought the ad was clever. It's an interesting take on a smartphone campaign. Instead of touting specs and features, Samsung is going right for Apple's jugular… Read More    Featured Videos Satellite as a Service, Yes its True    Featured Resources » Competing in the information era: A smarter approach to smart grids. » Your Customers are on the Smartphone. Is Your Call Center? » Empower Your Contact Center and Your Customers through Multi-Channel Communications   TMCnet's Blogs » Mood Detection Software Coming » Localphone Offers Free Calling Thanksgiving Promo for 4 Days   Featured Channels » Managed Networks » Satellite Optimization » Cloud Communications    SatelliteSpotlight.com is Your Source for the Latest Satellite News   and Information   Sign Up For FREE    |    Visit Site    |    Free Magazine Subscription   Advertise With Us   General advertising Info: Click here   Contact Us   Company Directory    |    All Editors' Info   Become a TMCnet columnist! Become a TMCnet columnist! Want to contribute your expertise to a growing audience of technology professionals? Become a writer, blogger or columnist for the TMCnet Web site and this newsletter. Contact TMCnet Group Editorial Director, Erik Linask, at elinask@tmcnet.com for details.

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