Ultimate Mars Challenge 1x53

It could be NASA’s last chance to set wheels down on Mars until the end of the decade: this August, a rover named Curiosity will touch down inside Mars’ Gale Crater, carrying ten new instruments that will advance the quest for signs that Mars might have once been suitable for life. But Curiosity’s mission is risky. After parachuting through the Martian atmosphere at twice the speed of sound, Curiosity will be gently lowered to the planet’s surface by a “sky crane.” This first-of-its-kind system has been tested on Earth, but will it work in space? With inside access to the massive team of scientists and engineers responsible for Curiosity’s on-the-ground experiments, NOVA will be there for the exhilarating moments after Curiosity‘s landing–and for the spectacular discoveries to come. But no rover does it alone: Curiosity will be joining a team that includes the Mars Odyssey, Express, and Reconnaissance orbiters, along with the tireless Opportunity rover. As NOVA reveals the dynamic new picture of Mars that these explorers are painting, viewers will discover the deep questions raised by forty years of roving Mars: How do we define life? How does life begin and what does it need to survive? Are we alone in the universe?

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