Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIuZP2vdefk

Astronaut Tom Jones on WMAL 08-03-12
INTERVIEW: DR. TOM JONES - former NASA astronaut -- flew 4 space shuttle missions, led 3 spacewalks lived/worked 53 days in spece -- and author of "Planetology" -- discussed the NASA land rover touching down on Mars this weekend and China #39;s plans for a lunar rover on the Moon. Mars Land Rover: (VOA) -- The US space agency is preparing for its newest Mars rover, Curiosity, to touch down on the Red Planet on August 6. The rover #39;s entry and descent will be nerve-wracking for NASA engineers, compounded by a 14-minute delay as the rover #39;s signals travel to Earth from Mars. If successful, Curiosity will be the sixth NASA spacecraft to land on the Red Planet. Curiosity is the centerpiece of the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, launched in November aboard an Atlas V rocket. It #39;s traveled some 560 million kilometers toward its destination, the Red Planet. Curiosity is a "Mars scientist #39;s dream machine," said Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada ahead of its launch. "This rover is not only the most technically capable rover ever sent to another planet, but it #39;s actually the most capable scientific explorer we #39;ve ever sent out," he said. As seen in this NASA animation, Curiosity will be traveling at about 20000 kilometers per hour when it hits the Martian atmosphere. It will have only seven minutes to reduce its speed for a soft landing. NASA engineers will not be able to control or even witness the events in real time. They call this period "seven minutes of ...From:WMAL WashingtonViews:144 0ratingsTime:08:25More inNews Politics

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Astronaut Tom Jones on WMAL 08-03-12 - Video