Curiosity to Begin Ambitious Exploration [HD]

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity is poised to liftoff on an Atlas V rocket bound for the red planet on an exploration mission unprecedented in goals and machinery. The wheeled robot is carrying suite of 10 instruments and even a laser to research the Martian past.

It's launch week for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), scheduled for liftoff Nov. 26 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The one hour and 43 minute launch window opens at 10:02 a.m. EST. The MSL spacecraft, including the rover Curiosity, is sealed within the protective payload fairing atop the rocket, which is inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Today's "Looking for Signs of Life in the Universe" news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST), followed by an MSL science briefing at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST). Both events will be carried on NASA Television at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.