Orbiter spies where rover's cruise stage hit Mars
Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 11:30
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org)—During the 10 minutes before the NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft entered the Martian atmosphere to deliver the rover Curiosity to the surface, the spacecraft shed its cruise stage, which had performed vital functions during the flight from Earth, and then jettisoned two 165-pound (75-kilogram) blocks of tungsten to gain aerodynamic lift.