Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, has finished building and testing the heat shield for protecting the Curiosity rover of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project. This heat shield is even larger than the ones used for protecting Apollo astronauts as they returned to Earth.

For more information, go to the Lockheed Martin news release at http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2009/0616ssMSLHeatShield.html .