Solar System.
Building Curiosity: First Test Drive for Next Mars Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ July 23, 2010
This video shows the first test drive of the next Mars Rover, Curiosity, in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on July 23, 2010. Engineers in 'bunny suits' conducted the test, while proud team members watched from a viewing gallery. Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada explains the process.
Transcript
[00:00:00]
Sound: Machine noises
[00:00:04]
Ashwin Vasavada : Today is a really exciting day. It's a milestone for MSL.
[00:00:08]
In a sense, the first time we're seeing the rover drive on its own wheels,
[00:00:12]
on its own mobility system. It's gone from designs on napkins, to Powerpoint,
[00:00:16]
you know, to CAD drawings, to blueprints, and now it's a rover!
[00:00:21]
This is really one of the big milestones. You know, we've been all designing various
[00:00:25]
parts of the rover, in different places at JPL, different places around the world,
[00:00:29]
and now to see them come together and to see a rover sitting in front of us and
[00:00:33]
actually have somebody press a button and it drives, you know, this really gives us
[00:00:36]
a vision that this rover's real and it's going to be on Mars someday.
[00:00:39]
It's going to explore a big area on Mars. That's one of the reasons it's so big and
[00:00:43]
has such a great driving capability. We want to be driving around 10 or 20 miles
[00:00:48]
around the landing site on Mars and look for places that may have been habitable
[00:00:51]
early in Mars' history, places that were friendly to life.
[00:00:55]
I've seen pictures of this rover for so many years, you know, and I know it in my sleep,
[00:00:59]
but, yet, to see it, like, real life and to know that this is the actual thing that's going to
[00:01:03]
Mars and will drive around over rocks and soil and, you know, go down into craters
[00:01:09]
that's...that's kind of amazing. It sort of blows your mind to look at this thing and see
[00:01:13]
...see something that's going to be on Mars one day.
[00:01:16]
Sound: Machine noises
Sound: Machine noises
[00:00:04]
Ashwin Vasavada : Today is a really exciting day. It's a milestone for MSL.
[00:00:08]
In a sense, the first time we're seeing the rover drive on its own wheels,
[00:00:12]
on its own mobility system. It's gone from designs on napkins, to Powerpoint,
[00:00:16]
you know, to CAD drawings, to blueprints, and now it's a rover!
[00:00:21]
This is really one of the big milestones. You know, we've been all designing various
[00:00:25]
parts of the rover, in different places at JPL, different places around the world,
[00:00:29]
and now to see them come together and to see a rover sitting in front of us and
[00:00:33]
actually have somebody press a button and it drives, you know, this really gives us
[00:00:36]
a vision that this rover's real and it's going to be on Mars someday.
[00:00:39]
It's going to explore a big area on Mars. That's one of the reasons it's so big and
[00:00:43]
has such a great driving capability. We want to be driving around 10 or 20 miles
[00:00:48]
around the landing site on Mars and look for places that may have been habitable
[00:00:51]
early in Mars' history, places that were friendly to life.
[00:00:55]
I've seen pictures of this rover for so many years, you know, and I know it in my sleep,
[00:00:59]
but, yet, to see it, like, real life and to know that this is the actual thing that's going to
[00:01:03]
Mars and will drive around over rocks and soil and, you know, go down into craters
[00:01:09]
that's...that's kind of amazing. It sort of blows your mind to look at this thing and see
[00:01:13]
...see something that's going to be on Mars one day.
[00:01:16]
Sound: Machine noises