Free Public Lectures Will Preview Next Mars Landing

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Guy Webster (818) 354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

News release: 2009-128 August 18, 2009

Free Public Lectures Will Preview Next Mars Landing

PASADENA, Calif. -- Two free public programs in Pasadena this week will explain why
previous methods of landing on Mars would not work for the next Mars rover and will
describe how engineers developed a new sky-crane system for this mission, NASA's Mars
Science Laboratory.

Tom Rivellini of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, will present illustrated
talks about Mars landing methods on Thursday, Aug. 20, at JPL, with a live webcast, and on
Friday, Aug. 21, at Pasadena City College. Both lectures will begin at 7 p.m. PDT.

Rivellini is one of JPL's principal mechanical engineers for spacecraft descent and landing
systems.

In 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover, Curiosity, will use a heat shield and
parachute for initial phases of its descent through the Martian atmosphere. Then a rocket-
powered descent stage will slow almost to a hover and unspool a tether, lowering the rover
directly onto the surface.

Seating is first-come, first-served. The Thursday lecture will be in JPL's von Kármán
Auditorium. JPL is at 4800 Oak Grove Dr., off the Oak Grove Drive exit of the 210
(Foothill) Freeway. The Friday lecture will be in Pasadena City College's Vosloh Forum,
1570 E. Colorado Blvd. For more information, call (818) 354-0112.

For information on how to view the live webcast on Thursday and to see an archived video
later, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures.cfm?year=2009&month=8 . More
information about the Mars Science Laboratory mission is at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

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