Digital illustration of the Atlas V541 launch vehicle that will carry NASA's Curiosity rover on its way to Mars. In the moment depicted here, the payload fairing that encloses the spacecraft during ascent through the atmosphere is being released. The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is being prepared for launch during sometime between November 25 and December 18, 2011, landing on Mars in early August 2012. The main goal of the mission, which will last about 2 years, is to study whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and for preserving clues about whether life existed.