Mars rover Curiosity makes first test drive

foxnews.com
August 22, 2012

The NASA rover Curiosity made its first test drive Wednesday on ancient soil of Mars.

“Wheel tracks on Mars,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Allen Chen tweeted along with an image sent from one of the rover’s cameras. “The EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) team is finally done. Congrats to the mobility and surface teams!”

The rover moved forward about 15 feet, rotated to a right angle and reversed a short distance.

The drive was successful and means the rover’s mobility system is fully functional, lead rover planner Matt Heverly told a JPL press conference.

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This article was posted: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 2:20 pm

Tags: science, technology

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