11-26-2011, 07:41 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15904408
Nasa has launched the most capable machine ever built to land on Mars.
The near one-tonne rover, tucked inside a capsule, left Florida on an Atlas 5 rocket at 10:02 local time (15:02 GMT).
Nicknamed Curiosity, the rover will take eight and a half months to cross the vast distance to its destination.
If it can land safely next August, the robot will then scour Martian soils and rocks for any signs that current or past environments on the planet could have supported microbial life.
The Atlas flight lasted almost three-quarters of an hour.
Nasa has launched the most capable machine ever built to land on Mars.
The near one-tonne rover, tucked inside a capsule, left Florida on an Atlas 5 rocket at 10:02 local time (15:02 GMT).
Nicknamed Curiosity, the rover will take eight and a half months to cross the vast distance to its destination.
If it can land safely next August, the robot will then scour Martian soils and rocks for any signs that current or past environments on the planet could have supported microbial life.
The Atlas flight lasted almost three-quarters of an hour.