SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR

SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR FOR MARS ROVER CURIOSITY
by NASA

The entry, descent and landing (EDL) of the Mars rover is without doubt the most dramatic and violent part of the nuclear-powered robotic mission to Gale Crater. Like robotic missions before it, the time it takes for a surface mission to travel from the top of the Martian atmosphere to the surface is seven minutes. It is for that reason it is known as the "7 Minutes of Terror."