Going to Mars With a Science Lab

NASA’s next mission to Mars is called the Mars Science Laboratory (which earlier this year go the name Curiosity in one of those name that rover contests for students).  This rover will be much larger than the previous ones, nuclear powered so it is not subject to the limitations of solar power, carry a larger suite of instruments to determine if Mars does or ever did support life, and be able to drive a lot farther and faster.

And you can send you name to Mars with Curiosity.  NASA has been adding people’s names to CDs and such put on spacecraft for years.  My cat and I have been happily traversing the near and far reaches of the solar system for years with NASA (we are going to the Moon, hopefully Thursday if the Shuttle goes off tomorrow as scheduled…more on a blog tomorrow) and we are making another trip to Mars.  Hope you will join us!