page_title: Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory
section_title: Prelaunch (2004–2011)
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory / Prelaunch (2004–2011)
caption_attribution_description: English: Testing of the cruise stage for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory in August 2010 included a session in a facility that simulates the environment found in interplanetary space. In this Aug. 24, 2010, photograph, a spacecraft technician at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., prepares for a test in the space simulation chamber. Solar panels are visible on the upper surface of the cruise stage. The testing chamber, 25 feet in diameter and 76 feet high, can simulate the cold, vacuum environment of space. Its 37 xenon lamps, each with about 25,000 watts, mimic the spacecraft's exposure to intense light from the sun.
context_page_description: The Mars Science Laboratory and its rover, Curiosity, were launched from Earth on November 26, 2011. As of August 29, 2020, Curiosity has been on the planet Mars for 2867 sols since landing on August 5, 2012.
context_section_description: In April 2004, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) called for scientific experiments and instruments proposals for the Mars Science Laboratory and rover mission. Launch was proposed for September 2009. By December 14, 2004, eight proposals were selected, including instruments from Russia and Spain.
  Testing of components also began in late 2004, including Aerojet's monopropellant engine with the ability to throttle from 15–100 percent thrust with a fixed propellant inlet pressure. By November 2008 most hardware and software development was complete, and testing continued. At this point, cost overruns were approximately $400 million. On December 2008, lift-off was delayed to November 2011 due to insufficient time for testing and integration.
  Between March 23–29, 2009, the general public ranked nine finalist rover names (Adventure, Amelia, Journey, Perception, Pursuit, Sunrise, Vision, Wonder, and Curiosity) through a public poll on the NASA website. On May 27, 2009, the winning name was announced to be Curiosity. The name had been submitted in an essay contest by Clara Ma, a then sixth-grader from Kansas.
caption: Cruise stage is tested in 2010.[1]
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