Saturday, December 03, 2011

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

Oh nothing, just a few photos of the Curiosity rover's Atlas V rocket sitting on its launch pad. I'm kind of amazed we were able to get this close to it. I mean, it wasn't actually full of rocket fuel yet, and we weren't right next to it, and there was a serious security fence to make sure nobody got any closer, but still.

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

Besides the lastest Mars rover, a number of fairly significant things have been launched from this spot over the years. The Voyager probes that fascinated me as a kid were launched here back in the 1970s, as were the Viking Mars landers. A fair number of recent interplanetary probes have been launched here as well: Heavy ones like MSL, and light ones that need to go really fast, like New Horizons. Granted they were designed elsewhere, and operated from elsewhere, and only the actual launches happened here, but it's still kind of cool to think about. To me, at least.

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

MSL Atlas V at Launch Complex 41

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