2012

How Do You Land on Mars? - April 13, 2012

Landing a spacecraft on Mars is one of the trickiest things we do.  This 60-second video explains how it’s done, and the three landing systems we use at the Red Planet.

QuickTime: 320x180 (5.88 MB)   |   480x270 (10.41 MB)   |   640x360 (10.1 MB)   |   1280x720 (29.31 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (9.97 MB)   |   640x360 (32.63 MB) PDF: Transcript (155.35 KB)

Mars in a Minute: Where Does Your Curiosity Lead? - April 11, 2012

Curiosity is a big part of what it means to be human. It's also the name of NASA's next Mars rover. This 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows how one type of curiosity can inspire another.

QuickTime: 320x180 (5.77 MB)   |   480x270 (10.58 MB)   |   640x360 (9.75 MB)   |   1280x720 (29.15 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (8.74 MB)   |   640x360 (26.49 MB) PDF: Transcript (14.4 KB)

Robotic Arm Target Practice - April 10, 2012

Engineers use Curiosity's body double to practice robotic arm placement.

QuickTime: 320x180 (12.95 MB)   |   480x270 (23.85 MB)   |   640x360 (46.59 MB)   |   1280x720 (163.79 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (14.27 MB)   |   640x360 (26.25 MB)   |   1280x720 (48.2 MB) PDF: Transcript (4.28 KB)

The Challenges of Getting to Mars: The Cruise to Mars - March 19, 2012

The long journey to Mars through the harsh environment of space confronts the Curiosity navigation team with a long list of challenges to get the spacecraft safely to its destination.

QuickTime: 320x180 (24.91 MB)   |   480x270 (43.92 MB)   |   640x360 (54.09 MB)   |   1280x720 (180.13 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (43.64 MB)   |   640x360 (30.47 MB) Captioned Video: 640x360 (86.58 MB) PDF: Transcript (86.07 KB)

Landing Practice - March 06, 2012

How do you prepare to land a one-ton rover lightly on the surface of Mars? Practice!

QuickTime: 320x180 (21.62 MB)   |   480x270 (37.34 MB)   |   640x360 (71.35 MB)   |   1280x720 (252.22 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (24.06 MB)   |   640x360 (42.65 MB) Captioned Video: 640x360 (86.68 MB)

The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Launching a Mars Rover - January 26, 2012

Video of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Nov. 26, 2011, onboard an Atlas V rocket.

QuickTime: 320x180 (43.78 MB)   |   480x270 (64.04 MB)   |   640x360 (80.74 MB)   |   1280x720 (282.31 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (111.42 MB)   |   640x360 (74.16 MB) PDF: Transcript (257.26 KB)

The Martians: Launching Curiosity to Mars - January 26, 2012

Mission team members share their excitement and reflections on the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover.

QuickTime: 320x180 (39.83 MB)   |   480x270 (75.88 MB)   |   640x360 (76.19 MB)   |   1280x720 (241.41 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (17.02 MB)   |   640x360 (42.67 MB)   |   1280x720 (111.65 MB)

Curiosity Tweaks Course to Mars - January 12, 2012

NASA rover makes first big maneuver en route to August rendezvous with Mars.

QuickTime: 320x180 (9.56 MB)   |   480x270 (45.39 MB)   |   640x360 (41.76 MB)   |   1280x720 (121.82 MB) MPEG-4: 320x180 (3.4 MB)   |   640x360 (20.49 MB) PDF: Transcript (168.19 KB)