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Curiosity waits for encapsulation

Curiosity waits for encapsulation
Curiosity waits for encapsulation In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 25, preparations are under way to enclose NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. NASA / Jim Grossmann