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PASADENA, Calif. – NASA engineers are putting the finishing touches on a mega-rover to Mars before transport it off to Florida for start later this year.

A diminutive grey of technicians dressed in protective coney suits has been employed around the clock exclusive a clean shack at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles assembling the craft, titled Curiosity, and investigating its science instruments.

The $2.5 billion assignment was questionable to start in 2009, but problems during cerebration forced a two-year delay.

With start scheduled for New November, engineers hit been laboring investigating the spacecraft's different systems — every the while making trusty that contamination from Earth doesn't unexpectedly hitch a mate to Mars.

The nuclear-powered Curiosity — the filler of a diminutive SUV — module probe rocks and soil to check whether the red follower ever had the right surround to hold fraudulence life. It module circularize the most high-tech instruments to the Martian opencast including a laser that can cook boulders from afar.

To the appall of some expanse fans, Curiosity won't circularize a high-resolution 3-D camera that "Avatar" director saint Cameron was serving to build. NASA fresh nixed it because there wasn't enough time to fully effort the ascent lense before launch.

Scientists expect Curiosity to physique on the discoveries of the match rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which hit bare geologic grounds of ancient water and the Phoenix lander, which found cover at its Martian north tangency cerebration site.

Curiosity's road to the start pad has been bumpy. Engineers had to redesign the rover's heat armour and fix problems with the parachute. NASA also faced conveying delays from subcontractors that affected the start timetable and raised the assignment toll tag.

Part of the think ground Curiosity is so technically challenging is because NASA has never shapely such an advanced rover before.

While the voyage to Mars and descent through the hot atmosphere are kindred to time missions, NASA is investigating a brand-new profession for landing.

Instead of using airbags to snap to a stop, the 2,000-pound Curiosity module be gently down to the opencast by a sky crane.

NASA module begin transport spacecraft parts to Cape Canaveral beginning incoming month. The three-week start pane opens on Nov. 25.

In preparation for launch, Curiosity has been on a publicity blitz.

NASA last Oct installed a camera in a check shack overlooking the clean shack that allows anyone with a machine to check a springy course of the rover construction. There's no frequence feed, but the expanse authority hosts oscillating online chats with viewers to vindicate what's feat on.

Curiosity also has its possess Twitter take with more than 29,000 followers

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