In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians make preparations to enclose NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing.
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians make preparations to enclose NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing. The fairing is designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff and guard the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL’s components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments. Image credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann Oct. 25, 2011