Thrilling Mars Curiosity Landing Trailer: 'Seven Minutes of Terror'

You have to check out this amazing trailer for the real life events that will transpire mere hours from now... On Mars.

After an eight and a half month, 350 million mile journey, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity rover are set to land on the Red Planet using a revolutionary propulsion system that will, fingers crossed, safely see the $2.5 billion piece of hi-tech hardware from orbit down to solid ground.

With no room for error, all eyes will be on Mars tonight as the craft begins its grueling seven-minute descent into the thin Martian atmosphere at over 1000 MPH while heating to a temperature of over 1600 degrees.

Using the largest supersonic parachute ever made by NASA, it must withstand 65,000 pounds of force while weighing only 100 pounds to de-accelerate to 250 MPH. Then the heat shield must be jettisoned to allow its radar to take over. Thrusters will fire and ease it closer to the surface. That in turn is followed by a slow touchdown using a delicate crane system. The technical ambition of this complicated landing is an astounding scenario straight out of the climax of a science fiction film.

If touchdown is successful, the rover will explore the surface of the planet for approximately two years, specifically near a six kilometer high mountain in an ancient meteor crater to search for the crucial clues of whether life is, or once was, sustainable on Mars.

Engineer Adam Steltzner points out there will be a gut wrenching 15 minute delay for signals to reach Earth from Mars during the descent. "So when we first get word that we've touched the top of the atmosphere, the vehicle has been alive, or dead, on the surface for at least seven minutes," he reveals in the trailer.

"If any one thing doesn't work just right, it's game over," engineer Tom Rivellini says of the no room for error landing.

io9 has left no stone unturned with a great overview on all things you may want to know about the mission. Curiosity has its own Facebook page that will be posting all the latest updates, and there is a Curiosity Cam UStream available to watch live updates as well. For us New York City folk, there will be a feed in Times Square early Sunday morning EST on the Toshiba screen on the main Jumbotron.

Curiosity is set to begin its historic landing at 1:31am EST. You have to hand it to guys and gals at NASA, my GPS can't accurately calculate my arrival time to a barbecue in New Jersey, but they can nail down a 850 million mile interplanetary touchdown to the nearest minute.

SOURCE: io9, NASA, The Planetary Society

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel