Biggest-Ever Heat Shield Prepared for Mars Spacecraft Date: 12
May 2011 The heat shield for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is
the largest ever built for a planetary mission. This image shows
the heat shield being prepared at Lockheed Martin Space Systems,
Denver, in April 2011. The heat shield was delivered to NASA
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on May 12, 2011, together with the
mission's back shell and cruise stage. The heat shield and back
shell, which together form the spacecraft's areoshell, have a
diameter of 4.5 meters (nearly 15 feet). Mars Science Laboratory
will launch in late 2011. The mission's rover, Curiosity, will
land on Mars in August 2012. It will study whether an intriguing
area of Mars has offered environmental conditions favorable for
supporting microbial life and for preserving evidence of whether
life existed there. The aeroshell will encapsulate and protect
Curiosity from intense heat and friction generated during
descent through the Martian atmosphere. Technicians in the photo
are instal