A 1991 Martinsville High School graduate, Dan Helmick, who is serving as a robotics researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena has earned fame for his tremendous research work utilized in the two Mars Exploration Rovers those have gathered information from Mars.

Earlier, the agency has notified about the plans to launch MSL in 2009, but not succeeded due to some technical complications. While briefing about the launch, Helmick notified that in every two years, there is a two-week launch window and said that the launch window is resolute by orbital mechanics.

The expert has put his hard effort while performing research with the 150 kilogram Mars Exploration Rovers, for more than six years, afterwards he started to work on 900 kilograms MSL. Scientists have notified that the MERs have revolved around on Mars in order to collect rock as well as mineral specimens. After collection, they have also carried out some analysis on them. During the process, they have identified some noteworthy information and clearly depicted water existence on the planet, from many years.

"We developed the software that makes the rover and the entire spacecraft do what it's supposed to do. Specifically, I've been working on the sample acquisition system, the arm and drill of the rover", he added further, while briefing about his role as a member of software development team.

Sources have confirmed that the rover is scheduled to be launched on Saturday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex-41, situated in Florida. Further, the rover is believed to land in the Gale Crater on Mars, most probably by August 2012.

The MSL is programmed to analyze carbon molecules that are believed to support life sometime in the past.