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The Challenges of Getting to Mars
Phoenix
Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Mars Landing Challenge -- Big Science Ahead' The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Mars Landing Challenge -- Big Science Ahead
Scientists plan intriguing research, once Phoenix lands safely on Mars.

QuickTime (captioned) 48 MB
Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars - Phoenix Mars Lander: Entry Descent and Landing ' Phoenix Mars Lander: Entry Descent and Landing
It will be a real nail-biter on May 25, 2008, for engineers, as the Phoenix spacecraft performs a series of challenging maneuvers right before it lands on Mars.

QuickTime 32.8 MB
Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars - Phoenix Mars Lander: Cruise Phase' Phoenix Mars Lander: Cruise Phase
The word "cruise" implies that this is an easy phase of the mission, however nothing could be further from the truth. See just how much work it takes to get the Phoenix Mars Lander to its proper destination on Mars while it travels at 60,000 miles per hour!

QuickTime 49.9 MB
QuickTime (captioned) 57.1 MB
MPEG-4 24.6 MB
QuickTime (Hi-Res) 54.6 MB
Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars - Phoenix Mars Lander: Countdown to Launch' Phoenix Mars Lander: Countdown to Launch
On Saturday August 4, 2007 the Mars Phoenix Spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Florida.

QuickTime 24.9 MB
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QuickTime (Hi-Res) 30.6 MB
Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars - Phoenix Mars Lander: Transport for Launch' Phoenix Mars Lander: Transport for Launch
Getting a spacecraft from its "birthplace" at Lockheed Martin in Colorado to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida is no easy task. With an able assist from the U.S. Air Force, NASA moved its Phoenix Mars Lander another step closer to Mars. This video chronicles the delicate procedure of moving an immense and demanding passenger across the country.

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QuickTime (captioned) 24.4 MB
MPEG-4 21.3 MB
QuickTime (Hi-Res) 200 MB
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Screenshot from the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Dip and Drag' Dip and Drag
With the spacecraft safely captured into orbit, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team transitions to the next critical phase -- aerobraking. Learn how engineers slow the spacecraft and precisely shape its orbit using the dynamic atmosphere of Mars.

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MPEG 11.7 MB
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Screenshot from the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Burn and Capture' Burn and Capture
After millions of miles, dozens of tests, a handful of calibrations and a number of "dress rehearsals," the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at the red planet on March 10, 2006. Find out how engineers prepare the spacecraft and themselves for this complicated engine burn and capture into Mars' orbit.

QuickTime 9.9 MB
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QuickTime (captioned) 9.9 MB
Watch the movie 'Challenges of Getting to Mars: Hitting the Bull's-Eye' Hitting the Bull's-Eye
Hitting a moving target over 306 million miles away is no easy feat. Learn how JPL navigation engineers have guided the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter toward its mission-critical capture into orbit around the red planet.

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MPEG 11.5 MB
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Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars:  Launch Logistics' Launch Logistics
The logistical challenge of getting a mission sent to Mars begins years before liftoff and culminates in the stressful days just prior to launch. This video highlights teams at JPL, Kennedy Space Center and Lockheed Martin working together to prepare for a complex launch amid the ever-changing weather of August in Florida.

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Watch the movie 'Challenges of Getting to Mars: Hitting the Bull's-Eye' Getting to the Launch Pad
From one side of the country to the other, through a snowstorm and other delays, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter made its way to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final processing and rehearsals before launch. Hitch a ride on the C-17 cargo plane that carried the next generation of Mars explorers to its final Earth-bound destination.

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Watch the movie 'The Challenges of Getting to Mars:  Heavy Lifting' Heavy Lifting
Getting a spacecraft to Mars is no walk in the park - as launch engineers are well aware. But when the spacecraft in question is among the largest ever sent to the red planet, there are specific challenges that must be overcome. Hear from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team just what it will take to get the mission on its way.

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Mars Exploration Rovers
Two Launches: Spirit and Opportunity Weather Dangers and Delays
The rover launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida is the "Lightning Capital of the United States." Launching a spacecraft safely is challenging enough. Learn how the Force of Nature intercepted the Rover Team's efforts to launch Spirit for two days.


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Two Launches: Spirit and Opportunity Two Launches: Spirit and Opportunity
The first episode documents the hurdles leading up to both launches. From Mother Nature being uncooperative to a problem with the cork insulation on the rocket, lift-off was no small feat. Ultimately the rover team rejoiced as their twins left the nest and headed for Mars.

QuickTime 7 MB
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Testing the Rovers for the Treacherous Martian Terrain Testing the Rovers for the Treacherous Martian Terrain
See how the scientists and engineers on Earth stretch their imaginations to design the best rover system to deal with the unpredictable dangerous terrain on Mars. Rover team members at Jet Propulsion Laboratory are currently testing the limitations of the rovers through engineering models on Earth so they can safely maneuver the real rovers on Mars.


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screenshot from video 'Navigation' Navigation
Navigators may know best that "life is all about the journey." For seven grueling months, the navigators for Spirit and Opportunity have been analyzing millions of lines of data and fine-tuning the course to Mars. Learn more about the Challenges of Getting to Mars from the team who is getting us there.

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Special thanks to the La Cañada High School Football Team
screenshot from video 'Entry'

screenshot from video 'Descent'

screenshot from video 'Landing'
Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL)
Navigators must safely maneuver Spirit and Opportunity to their precise atmospheric entry points to reach their landing targets on the surface of Mars. In only six minutes, the spacecraft must slow down from an incredible speed of 12,000 mph to nearly zero. In this three-part episode of "The Challenges of Getting to Mars," spacecraft engineers give a play-by-play of the Entry, Decent, and Landing mission phase that they refer to as their nailbiting "Six Minutes of Terror."

Complete Video

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MPEG 17 MB
QuickTime (captioned) 18.7 MB

Part 1
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QuickTime (captioned) 8.2 MB

Part 2
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Part 3
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Impact to Egress Impact to Egress (ITE)
Even after the landers and airbags safely bounce to a complete stop on Mars, the challenges of getting to Mars continue. It will take each rover a minimum of nine days to emerge from its lander cocoon, stand up, orient itself, safely unlock its body from the lander, and roll down to the martian ground. In this last episode of the Challenges of Getting to Mars video series, the rover team describes the Impact to Egress phase of getting six wheels on the surface.

Part 1
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MPEG 7.5 MB
QuickTime (captioned) 7.1 MB

Part 2
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Odyssey
Odyssey Orbit Insertion Orbit Insertion
Getting to Mars is difficult enough -- staying there is even more challenging.

RealVideo
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QuickTime 6 MB
Odyssey Telecommunications Telecommunications
How do you converse with a robot nearly one hundred million miles away?

RealVideo
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Odyssey Interplanetary Cruise Interplanetary Cruise
Odyssey navigation team members discuss the challenges of flying from Earth to Mars.

RealVideo
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Odyssey Aerobraking Aerobraking
Using atmospheric drag to "aerobrake," the spacecraft dips into the Martian atmosphere once every time the spacecraft swings by its closest approach to Mars.

RealVideo
QuickTime 55 MB
QuickTime 6 MB
QuickTime 2 MB
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