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NASA's Curiosity Continues Mobility Checkouts

June 13, 2011

This photograph providing a front view of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.› Full image and caption

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This photograph providing a left-side view of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. › Full image and caption

This photograph of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, raising its turret was taken during testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.› Full image and caption

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This photograph of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, turning in place was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.› Full image and caption

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This photograph of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, with its left-front wheel on a ramp was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.› Full image and caption

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This photograph providing a right-side view of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, was taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011. The location is inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.› Full image and caption

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

America's next Mars rover, Curiosity, has been driving and moving its arm during its final weeks at its California birthplace.

Spacecraft specialists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., have been putting the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, through various tests in preparation for shipment to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this month.

A new set of images online shows the rover maneuvering its robotic arm and driving in JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility, where it was built. The images are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/index.html .

Assembly and testing work is on track for launch of the Mars Science Laboratory from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., during the period from Nov. 25 to Dec. 18, 2011.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. This mission will land Curiosity on Mars in August 2012. Researchers will use the tools on the rover to study whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and favorable for preserving clues about whether life existed. More information about the mission is online at: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

News Media Contact

Guy Webster

818-354-6278

guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

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