Mars Rovers; NASA: Huge Mars Rover's Sky Crane Landing Was 'Least Crazy' Idea. News. By Mike Wall published 3 August 2012 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate ...

The $2.5 billion rover will begin a two-year quest to explore the interior of Mars' Gale Crater and hunt for evidence of an ancient ocean there. But before this hunt can begin, Curiosity has to land .

Just landing successfully on Mars is a feat, but the Curiosity mission went several steps further on Aug. 5, ... NASA's newest Mars rover, the sky crane technology was even more precise: ...

The stunningly intricate series of maneuvers that will drop NASA's Curiosity rover onto the Martian surface Sunday looks pretty reasonable when you consider the alternatives, experts say.

At first blush, using a rocket-powered flying crane to lower a $2.5 billion nuclear-powered rover to the surface of Mars seems risky at best. But engineers say it solves a host of daunting challenges.

Why is Mars barren and uninhabitable, while life has always thrived here on our relatively similar planet Earth?

Unlike past Mars missions, Curiosity will be lowered to the ground and set on its wheels by a slowly descending "sky crane" designed to unreel the lander like a lure on a fishing line.

The NASA Perseverance rover has been confirmed to be healthy and is now on a journey to Mars. It will take between 6.5 and seven months before the rover lands on the red planet in February 2021 ...

NASA has safely placed a variety of probes on Mars in the past, from the Viking craft in 1976 and the Phoenix lander in 2008 to three previous rovers (Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity).

During the February 2021 landing of Perseverance, NASA’s newest Mars rover, the sky crane technology was even more precise: The addition of something called terrain relative navigation enabled ...

Finally, the $2.5 billion rover will be lowered to the surface on cables. When Curiosity's six wheels hit the red dirt inside Mars' huge Gale Crater, its "sky crane " descent stage will fly off ...

The NASA Perseverance rover has been confirmed to be healthy and is now on a journey to Mars. It will take between 6.5 and seven months before the rover lands on the red planet in February 2021 ...