NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, named Curiosity, viewed on May 26, 2011, in Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The rover was shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 22, 2011. The mission is scheduled to launch between November 25 and December 18, 2011, and land the rover Curiosity on Mars in August 2012. Researchers will use tools on Curiosity to study whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and for preserving clues about whether life existed. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) # 



In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover (upper left, folded), is being prepared to be moved to a rotation fixture for testing. The spacecraft's backshell (right), will carry the parachute and several components used during later stages of entry, descent and landing. The backshell and the heat shield (previous image) combine to make a protective aeroshell for the rover. The module in the center is the Sky Crane, which will hold the rover inside the aeroshell, then, when it's very close to the Martian surface, it will fire its rockets, hovering, and slowly lower the rover to the ground.(NASA/Jim Grossmann) # 

NASA engineer Ernie Wright looks on as the first six flight ready James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) primary mirror segments are prepped to begin final cryogenic testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In July, 2011, the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA proposed a 2012 spending bill that would terminate the JWST program as part of wider-reaching cutbacks. As budget talks continue, the future of the $6.5 billion heir to the Hubble Space Telescope remains uncertain, but the prospects appear bleak for its planned 2018 launch. (NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham) #