The six wheel, one-armed Mars rover is due to blast off Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral. The Atlas V rocket would put unmanned aircraft on 8 1/2-month journey to the red planet.
Rover, called curiosity, is the size of a car. It is a mobile laboratory that holds 10 science instruments will sample the Martian soil and rocks, and analyse them there on the surface. There is a drill as well as laser zapping rock machine.
Curiosity will spend two years searching for evidence that Mars may once have been–or still-sui for microbial life.
Forecasters expect good launch weather. The launch is scheduled for 10: 02 am EST and lasted until the launch window 11: 45 am EST.