The public is invited to join the Department of Astronomy and Center for Radiophysics and Space Research to watch history as the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, Curiosity, attempts to land on Mars.

Cornell astronomers will be available to answer questions and describe the landing processes from 11:45 p.m., Aug. 5, to 3 a.m., Aug. 6, in G01 Uris Hall. Curiosity is expected to land around 1:30 a.m.

Built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Curiosity carries the most sophisticated payload of scientific instruments ever sent to Mars. The purpose of the mission is to sample layers of rock sediment so scientists can assess whether and when Mars might have been capable of supporting life on its surface.

Among the Cornell researchers involved in the Mars Science Laboratory mission are senior research associates Rob Sullivan and Peter Thomas, who are part of the Mastcam camera team, and Steve Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy and principal investigator of the ongoing Mars Exploration Rover mission, who is working on instrumentation aboard Curiosity for measuring the composition of Mars' surface.

The rover's landing, which has been described by NASA as "seven minutes of terror" due to the technical difficulties involved, begins with the entry phase as the spacecraft reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere traveling at about 13,200 miles per hour.

The spacecraft will go through six different vehicle configurations and fire 76 pyrotechnic devices for deploying and separating components. Soon after landing, the rover's computer will initiate autonomous activities for its first Martian day on the surface of the planet, sol 0.

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