The rover's "back" (the rover equipment deck) carries the rover's communications antennas ("ears and mouth") along with other key tools.

While it's hard to show, inside the body of the rover are its computer systems, two science chemistry labs (CheMin and SAM), and more!
Unlike people and animals, the rover "brains" are in its body. The rover has a "spare brain" just in case it needs a back-up computer. Just like the human brain, the rover computers register signs of health, temperature, and other features that keep the rover "alive." This main control loop essentially keeps the rover "alive" by constantly checking itself to ensure that it is both able to communicate throughout the surface mission and that it remains thermally stable (not too hot or too cold) at all times. It does so by periodically checking temperatures, particularly in the rover body, and responding to potential overheating conditions, recording power generation and power storage data throughout the Mars sol (a martian day), and scheduling and preparing for communication sessions. Curiosity's computers not only control the rover, but also serve as the main "brains" for the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft during the cruise from Earth and arrival at Mars. The flight software checks out the health of the spacecraft during all mission phases, checks for commands from Earth, and controls spacecraft activities.

The backside of the rover is less crowded with instruments than other parts of the rover. The power source is the main feature, giving electrical power to allow the rover to perform all of its functions. Since the rover may at times move in reverse, hazard avoidance cameras showing the ground view are important (and help with driving at all times).

Curiosity's "body" is an insulated container that protects "vital organs" inside the rover such as its computer "brains." Its body is high off the ground, so the rover won't get stuck on any rocks. The power system, which looks like its "tail," flows excess heat into the body to keep the computer "brains," avionics, instrument electronics, and interior instruments (SAM and CheMin) warm in the extremely cold Martian temperatures. By analogy, the rover's body also contains a "digestive system." A tool on the rover's "hand" (a drill system) "chews" the rock samples by grinding them into a powder, then pours the samples through funnels on its "back" into its "body." Once "digested" inside, the rover can tell what it just "ate" with science tools in the "body" that identify what the samples are made of. The rover hopes to find two things: 1) minerals altered in water, which is necessary to life as we know it, and 2) signs of organics, the chemical building blocks of life. That will help explain if Mars could have been a habitat in the past for small life forms called microbes.

Curiosity has a "hand" at the end of its arm called a turret. The turret carries a drill, a brush to remove dust, a soil scoop, a camera for close-up views, and two science tools to understand if Mars ever had habitable conditions for microbial life. One science tool can detect rocks and minerals altered by water and another is designed to detect carbon-based compounds known as organics, the chemical building blocks of life.

Curiosity's "neck and head" (mast) carries seven of Curiosity's seventeen camera "eyes." Cameras on Curiosity's mast provide a view similar to what a nearly seven-foot-tall basketball player would see on Mars. Before deciding whether it is worth it to make the drive over to rocks and rock layers of interest, a laser on the rover's "forehead" can zap them from a distance analyze what the vapor is made of to see if they are interesting enough to study close up. Most interesting are materials that formed in water, key to life as we know it.

Curiosity is a car-sized, six-wheeled robot destined for Gale Crater on Mars.

Its mission: to see if Mars ever could have supported small life forms called microbes...and if humans could survive there someday!

In addition to super-human senses that help us understand Mars as a habitat for life, Curiosity's parts are similar to what a human would need to explore Mars (body, brains, eyes, arm, legs, etc.). Check it out though--sometimes they are located in odd places!

Curiosity uses this tool to search for organics, carbon-based molecules that are the chemical building blocks of life. Finding organics is important in the search for Martian environments capable of supporting microbes, because life as we know it cannot exist without them (though they can exist without life). This tool allows Curiosity to detect lower concentrations of a wider variety of organic molecules than any other instrument yet sent to Mars. It is one of two instruments that study powdered rock and soil samples scooped up by the robotic arm. Curiosity will deliver powdered samples to one of two funnels on the rover deck ("back") and then to small cups for processing inside the rover's "body." Finding evidence that Gale Crater had both past water and organics would suggest it might have been hospitable to life. If Curiosity does find organic material, the next step would be to determine the origin of the molecules and the nature of their preservation given the rock type in which they are found. If no organic material is discovered, a better place to look might be below the surface.

Finding minerals that either formed in water or were altered by water in the past helps us understand if Mars ever could have been a habitat for microbes. This tool is one of two instruments that studies powdered rock and soil samples scooped up by the robotic arm. Curiosity uses it to tell us what kinds of minerals are in samples and how much of them are there. Minerals provide a record of what happened in the past. Different minerals are linked to certain kinds of environments. For example, gypsum is a mineral that contains calcium, sulfur, and water. Anhydrite is a calcium and sulfur mineral with no water in its crystal structure. CheMin will be able to distinguish the two.

Curiosity's "body" is an insulated container that protects "vital organs" inside the rover such as its computer "brains." Its body is high off the ground, so the rover won/<>t get stuck on any rocks. The power system, which looks like its "tail," flows excess heat into the body to keep the computer "brains," avionics, instrument electronics, and interior instruments (SAM and CheMin) warm in the extremely cold Martian temperatures. By analogy, the rover's body also contains a "digestive system." A tool on the rover's "hand" (a drill system) "chews" the rock samples by grinding them into a powder, then pours the samples through funnels on its "back" into its "body." Once "digested" inside, the rover can tell what it just "ate" with science tools in the "body" that identify what the samples are made of. The rover hopes to find two things: 1) minerals altered in water, which is necessary to life as we know it, and 2) signs of organics, the chemical building blocks of life. That will help explain if Mars could have been a habitat in the past for small life forms called microbes.

Curiosity carries an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which enables the rover to make precise vertical, horizontal, and side-to-side (yaw) movements. Curiosity uses this device to ensure safe traverses as it navigates, estimating the degree of tilt the rover is experiencing on the surface of Mars.

Water is necessary to life as we know it. Today, Gale Crater does not have liquid water on its surface, but water ice can exist underground. Water can also be chemically bound in minerals that formed in water long ago. This Russian-built, neutron-shooting tool can detect hydrogen as a sign of such water, helping us understand if Gale Crater ever could have supported small life forms called microbes.

If the drill bit becomes stuck in a rock, the drill can disengage from that bit and replace it with a spare. Curiosity's arm moves the drill to engage and capture one of two spare bits in bit boxes mounted to the front of the rover.

An observation tray on the rover gives two instruments (MAHLI and APXS) a place to examine collected and processed samples of soil and powdered rock.

Curiosity doesn't want to find organics on Mars only to find out we brought it with us from Earth! Engineers took steps to clean the rover before it left Earth to help ensure that measurements of soil and rocks on Mars do not contain Earth-based organic materials. However, a slight amount might be there, simply because the rover was built here. Thus, Curiosity can check five times during the mission to check whether parts on the rover's "hand" (turret) transfers Earth-based organic materials to the samples. Curiosity makes these tests by using manufactured (synthetic) organic materials located in canisters on the front of the rover. This manufactured material is not found in nature on Earth and is not expected on Mars. Each one can be drilled, sieved and portioned in CHIMRA, and delivered to SAM (and optionally also to CheMin) the same as other drilled Martian rocks. Not only will it check for any Earth-based organics, but will also test for whether the process of collecting samples results in organics being lost and whether the collection devices deliver complete sample portions to SAM sample cups.

Unlike people and animals, the rover "brains" are in its body. The rover has a "spare brain" just in case it needs a back-up computer. Just like the human brain, the rover computers register signs of health, temperature, and other features that keep the rover "alive." This main control loop essentially keeps the rover "alive" by constantly checking itself to ensure that it is both able to communicate throughout the surface mission and that it remains thermally stable (not too hot or too cold) at all times. It does so by periodically checking temperatures, particularly in the rover body, and responding to potential overheating conditions, recording power generation and power storage data throughout the Mars sol (a martian day), and scheduling and preparing for communication sessions.Curiosity's computers not only control the rover, but also serve as the main "brains" for the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft during the cruise from Earth and arrival at Mars. The flight software checks out the health of the spacecraft during all mission phases, checks for commands from Earth, and controls spacecraft activities.

The rover's "back" (the rover equipment deck) carries the rover's communications antennas ("ears and mouth") along with other key tools.

Curiosity is helping us understand not only the possibility of past life on Mars, but also whether we humans could explore there one day. The rover first monitors radiation in space on the way to Mars and later as it roves on the Martian surface. This information helps shape future human missions to Mars by letting us know how much shielding from radiation future Mars astronauts will need to protect them. Once at Mars, it studies the radiation environment on the surface to determine its likely effect on both microbial and human life.

How does Curiosity provide "true color" views of Mars? Curiosity's two most "humanlike eyes" (Mastcam) can "see" a target on the rover deck that looks a little like a water-color paint palette, except all the colors are Mars-like or white-gray balance. When the rover was on Earth, it took pictures of these colored chips to provide a baseline of what they look like. Natural lighting on Mars tends to be redder than on Earth due to dust in Mars' atmosphere. By adjusting Curiosity's pictures of the target until the colored and white-gray-balance chips match what they looked like on Earth, the mission team can approximate "true color" of the surrounding terrain, making it close to what it would look like if we were there to see for ourselves. To balance the red, "true color" images include a lighting effect that is a lot like the greenish look your pictures have if taken under fluorescent lights on Earth without a white-balancing adjustment. A white-balance calculation can yield a more natural look by adjusting for the tint of the lighting, as the human eye and digital cameras can do. The target also includes magnets to attract the highly magnetic Martian dust, preventing it from gathering on the chips so that the rover can always "see" them clearly.

Silicon chips carry the names of people who participated in the "Send Your Name to Mars" program prior to the rover's launch. More than 1.24 million names were submitted online. These names were etched into silicon using an electron-beam machine used for fabricating microdevices at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with submissions from the semi-finalist students who participated in the rover naming contest. In addition, more than 20,000 visitors to JPL and NASA's Kennedy Space Center wrote their names on pages that were scanned and reproduced at microscopic scale on another chip.

Curiosity carries a sundial that carries the word for Mars in sixteen different languages. When the rover turns its head to look at its "back" (deck), Earthlings can see the sundial to calculate time of day, date, and seasons. Accompanied by line drawings, the message says "To Mars, To Explore" and "For millennia, Mars has stimulated our imaginations. First, we saw Mars as a wandering star, a bringer of war from the abode of the gods. In recent centuries, the planet's changing appearance in telescopes caused us to think that Mars had a climate like the Earth's. Our first space age views revealed only a cratered, Moon-like world, but later missions showed that Mars once had abundant liquid water. Through it all, we have wondered: Has there been life on Mars? To those taking the next steps to find out, we wish a safe journey and the joy of discovery." Perhaps a future human explorer will one day read that wish!

These inlet ports allow Curiosity to deliver powdered rock samples to the two tools (SAM or CheMin) that analyze them for clues to whether Mars ever had environmental conditions able to support microbial life. Each of the inlet ports (two for SAM and one for CheMin) has a cover that can be opened and closed using a motor.

Curiosity's three antennas let the rover "listen" to commands from its mission team on Earth and "speak" back to them. Having multiple antennas gives the mission team lots of back-up in communicating with the rover. Because they are good at sending large amounts of data using their own larger antennas, Mars orbiters most often pass the rover's data back to Earth, but commands from Earth usually go straight to the rover.

The mission team typically plans to use this antenna for their daily uplink of commands to Curiosity. The high-gain antenna sends a "beam" of information in a specific direction and is steerable. That means the antenna can move to point itself directly to any antenna on Earth. The benefit of having a steerable antenna is that the entire rover doesn't have to change positions to talk to Earth. Like turning your neck to talk to someone beside you rather than turning your entire body, the rover can save energy by moving only the antenna.

The low-gain antenna is able to send and receive information in every direction; that is, it is "omni-directional." The antenna can transmit radio waves to the Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas on Earth, but at a low rate. Thus, the low-gain antenna is primarily for receiving data.

Curiosity will use its radio antenna for sending large data sets of its discoveries back to Earth. Because the rover's and orbiters' antennas are close-range, they act a little like "walky talkies" compared to the long range of the low-gain and high-gain antennas. Using orbiters to relay messages is beneficial because they are closer to the rover than the Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas on Earth and they have Earth in their field of view for much longer time periods than the rover does on the ground. That allows them to send more data back to Earth at faster rates. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will likely relay most of the data between the rover and Earth. Both the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey Orbiter have two chances each sol (Martian day) to communicate with the rover when they pass overhead in the sky. As a backup, the rover can also communicate with European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter.

Curiosity's "neck and head" (mast) carries seven of Curiosity's seventeen camera "eyes." Cameras on Curiosity's mast provide a view similar to what a nearly seven-foot-tall basketball player would see on Mars. Before deciding whether it is worth it to make the drive over to rocks and rock layers of interest, a laser on the rover's "forehead" can zap them from a distance analyze what the vapor is made of to see if they are interesting enough to study close up. Most interesting are materials that formed in water, key to life as we know it.

Just like many people, Curiosity's two camera "eyes" do not have the same exact vision. The right-eye camera looks through a telephoto lens. It can distinguish a basketball from a football at a distance of seven football fields or read "ONE CENT" on a penny on the ground beside the rover. That's three times better resolution than past rover cameras. The left-eye camera provides a broader view of the terrain around the rover.

By collecting color Images, 3D stereo images, and video of the Martian terrain, these cameras aid Curiosity in studying the Martian landscape, rocks, and soils; viewing changes in frost, cloud, and dust movements, and, supporting the driving and sampling operations of the rover.

Beyond helping us understand if Mars ever could have been a habitat for microbial life, the cameras can give us a real sense of what standing there ourselves would be like. Because Curiosity's "head" can swivel nearly all the way around, it can provide a 360° panoramic view of Mars. Much the way you might experience a visit to a national park, its HD capabilities also allow an unprecedented "tourist-style" family video of Mars!

Curiosity uses this tool to see if a rock has been altered by water and if it has elements critical to life as we know it (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen). Curiosity will be the first Mars rover capable of detecting these elements. Curiosity's rock-zapping laser can hit a rock or soil target up to 23 feet (7 meters away) with enough energy to pulverize a pinhead spot on the rock. It then studies gas released to see what types of atoms are in the vapor. The advantage of this tool is that Curiosity can find out if a rock is interesting enough to study before it drives all of the way over to examine it.

Want to know what the weather is like on Mars? For a full Martian year (687 Earth days, or almost 2 Earth years), Curiosity's weather station can record daily and seasonal changes in air and ground temperatures, wind speed and direction, air pressure, humidity, and ultraviolet radiation. It can collect weather readings for at least five minutes every hour and tell us what kind of day the rover is facing/nand what it would be like for humans if we travel to Mars someday!

Curiosity has seventeen camera "eyes." Four pairs of engineering cameras aid in driving by watching out for obstacles on the Martian surface such as rocks. Two pairs (Navigation Cameras on the rover's mast) aid in navigation. Four cameras help with science discoveries about Mars and the possibility it had an environment capable of supporting small life forms called microbes (three on the head and one on the arm). One takes pictures on the rover's descent through the Martian atmosphere. The camera eyes are located all over its body for maximum visibility!

Curiosity has four pairs of cameras at the front and rear of the rover's "body" to detect hazardous obstacles in its path, such as large rocks, trenches, or sand dunes. The front Hazcams help engineers plan where to put the robotic arm, drill, and scoop to collect samples. The back cameras are important for driving backwards. Hazard avoidance is used when the rover planners cannot determine if the path is free of obstacles. Using these cameras, Curiosity stops frequently to get new stereo images in the drive direction and analyze them for potential hazards. Curiosity can "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously) by analyzing the 3D information. Of course, rover planners set variables in advance, such as how frequently to stop and check, which cameras to use, and what type of decision the rover makes in response to a hazard detection (whether to choose a path around it or stop driving for the day).

Located up high on the rover, these two sets of black-and-white stereo cameras help engineers drive the rover around Mars. They can see a golf ball from 82 feet (25 meters) away. Before Curiosity "drives blind," the navigation cameras initially help ensure a safe path. Blind-drive mode occurs when engineers command the rover to drive a certain distance in a certain direction, and the rover's computer "brains" calculate distance from wheel rotations without looking or checking for wheel slippage. One full turn of a wheel with no slippage is nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters) of driving. Using the Navcam images taken before and after it drives, Curiosity can also do a "slip check" with "visual odometry." The rover compares its before-and-after positions, recognizing features in the images and calculating how far it actually traveled. Then the rover compares that to the number of wheel rotations. Any difference indicates that the wheels are slipping against the ground. While this technique helps Curiosity "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously), rover planners tell Curiosity in advance how often to check depending on the type of terrain and whether to stop driving for the day if slipping too much.

Ever wonder what it would be like to have an "astronauts" view of landing on Mars? Finishing its job in the seconds before landing, this camera shoots full-color video of Curiosity's journey through the atmosphere all the way down to the Martian surface. This camera may give the science team and rover drivers a glimpse of the landing site to aid them in accurately identifying Curiosity's landing spot and in planning the rover's first drives. One of its main jobs is helping the mission team locate loose debris, boulders, cliffs, and other features in the terrain that pose potential hazards to the rover and should be avoided.

Curiosity's seven-foot arm holds and moves tools to help scientists get up-close and personal with martian rocks and soil. Curiosity's arm can move like yours. It has a shoulder, elbow, and wrist for maximum flexibility. The arm enables a tool belt of scientists' instruments on the "hand (turret) to extend, bend, and angle precisely against a rock to work as a human geologist would: grinding away layers, taking microscopic images, and analyzing the elemental composition of the rocks and soil.

Curiosity has a "hand" at the end of its arm called a turret. The turret carries a drill, a brush to remove dust, a soil scoop, a camera for close-up views, and two science tools to understand if Mars ever had habitable conditions for microbial life. One science tool can detect rocks and minerals altered by water and another is designed to detect carbon-based compounds known as organics, the chemical building blocks of life.

Much like a geologist's hand lens, this camera provides close-up views of minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks at scales smaller than the diameter of a human hair. That information will help us understand if any rocks formed in water, which is necessary to life as we know it. It will help scientists select which rocks may be the best to study further--that is, rocks and minerals that may contain signs of organics, the chemical building blocks of life.

Able to focus long distance, It can also image hard-to-reach objects more than an arm's length away and provide context views of the surrounding terrain. With two white LED lights, it can take pictures at night, and with ultraviolet (UV) LEDs, can look for minerals that fluoresce. It can also send high-definition video back to Earth and even be used to look back to take a self-portrait of Curiosity.

This tool helps identify the chemical elements in rocks and soil and tells us how much of each is present. Identifying the elemental composition of lighter elements (sodium, magnesium or aluminum) and heavier elements (iron, nickel or zinc) helps scientists identify main materials in the Martian crust. This information helps scientists select rock and "soil" samples, characterize the interiors of the rocks following brushing, and then determine how the material formed long ago and if it was later altered by wind, water, or ice. All previous rovers have carried a tool like this one, so comparisons of landing sites can be made to understand the history of Mars even better.

Curiosity's "legs" and six wheels (its mobility system) are built to be tough. The rover will land on its wheels and also cross potentially rugged terrain. With a higher and wider carriage than ever before, it can rove over large rocks and other obstacles if necessary. Curiosity has a top speed on hard, flat ground of 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) per second, but its average is likely half that. The rover is capable of driving over 12 miles (20 kilometers) during its prime mission. The rocker-bogie design of the "legs" allows the rover to keep all of its wheels on the ground, even on uneven terrain. The rover also has tilt limits, so will not go over steep terrain that would jeopardize its safety.

Each wheel has its own motor, and each of the front and rear wheels have additional steering motors. This steering capability allows the vehicle to turn in place, a full 360 degrees. The 4-wheel steering also allows the rover to swerve and curve, making arching turns. By locking five wheels and rotating one of the corner wheels, Curiosity can also dig a trench to see what lies below in the subsurface.

Curiosity has a "tail" that gives it power to operate. Without power, it cannot move, use its science tools, or talk with Earth. Curiosity's electrical power is provided by a radioisotope power source that converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity. This type of plutonium is different from the material used in weapons and cannot explode like a bomb. It is manufactured in ceramic form, and passively generates heat. This power source charges two rechargeable batteries, producing enough electricity to for all of the rover's activities. The heat also keeps the rover's systems warm during the frigid nights on Mars. Curiosity's power source is designed to last about 14 years.

Curiosity uses this metal-bristle brushing device to remove the dust layer from a rock surface or to clean the rover's observation tray. Removing dust from rocks allows other instruments to analyze the structure and make-up of the rock. That information allows the mission team to understand if the samples come from rocks that either formed in water or were altered by it/nand maybe even if organics, the chemical building blocks of life, are present!

Shake it up! This tool helps Curiosity sort rock materials collected by the rover's drill and scoop. It has a clamshell-shaped scoop to collect soil samples from the Martian surface. It also has a system of chambers and labyrinths used to sort, sieve, and portion samples. Curiosity sorts samples by changing the position of its "hand" (turret) while using a vibration device to move material through the chambers, passages, and sieves. The vibration device also creates the right portion size for dropping material into the inlet ports for rock-analyzing tools (SAM and CheMin).

Curiosity uses this drill system to collect rock samples for in-depth analysis by two instruments inside the rover (SAM and CheMin). It can collect a sample from up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) beneath a rock's surface. The drill penetrates the rock and powders the sample to the appropriate grain size. The powder travels up an auger in the drill for transfer to sample processing mechanisms.

Curiosity uses this tool to see if a rock has been altered by water and if it has elements critical to life as we know it (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen). Curiosity will be the first Mars rover capable of detecting these elements. Curiosity's rock-zapping laser can hit a rock or soil target up to 23 feet (7 meters away) with enough energy to pulverize a pinhead spot on the rock. It then studies gas released to see what types of atoms are in the vapor. The advantage of this tool is that Curiosity can find out if a rock is interesting enough to study before it drives all of the way over to examine it.

Located up high on the rover, these two sets of black-and-white stereo cameras help engineers drive the rover around Mars. They can see a golf ball from 82 feet (25 meters) away. Before Curiosity "drives blind," the navigation cameras initially help ensure a safe path. Blind-drive mode occurs when engineers command the rover to drive a certain distance in a certain direction, and the rover's computer "brains" calculate distance from wheel rotations without looking or checking for wheel slippage. One full turn of a wheel with no slippage is about 62 inches (157 centimeters) of driving. Using the Navcam images taken before and after it drives, Curiosity can also do a "slip check" with "visual odometry." The rover compares its before-and-after positions, recognizing features in the images and calculating how far it actually traveled. Then the rover compares that to the number of wheel rotations. Any difference indicates that the wheels are slipping against the ground. While this technique helps Curiosity "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously), rover planners tell Curiosity in advance how often to check depending on the type of terrain and whether to stop driving for the day if slipping too much.

Located up high on the rover, these two sets of black-and-white stereo cameras help engineers drive the rover around Mars. They can see a golf ball from 82 feet (25 meters) away. Before Curiosity "drives blind," the navigation cameras initially help ensure a safe path. Blind-drive mode occurs when engineers command the rover to drive a certain distance in a certain direction, and the rover's computer "brains" calculate distance from wheel rotations without looking or checking for wheel slippage. One full turn of a wheel with no slippage is about 62 inches (157 centimeters) of driving. Using the Navcam images taken before and after it drives, Curiosity can also do a "slip check" with "visual odometry." The rover compares its before-and-after positions, recognizing features in the images and calculating how far it actually traveled. Then the rover compares that to the number of wheel rotations. Any difference indicates that the wheels are slipping against the ground. While this technique helps Curiosity "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously), rover planners tell Curiosity in advance how often to check depending on the type of terrain and whether to stop driving for the day if slipping too much.

Just like many people, Curiosity's two camera "eyes" do not have the same exact vision. The right-eye camera looks through a telephoto lens. It can distinguish a basketball from a football at a distance of seven football fields or read "ONE CENT" on a penny on the ground beside the rover. That's three times better resolution than past rover cameras. The left-eye camera provides a broader view of the terrain around the rover.

By collecting color Images, 3D stereo images, and video of the Martian terrain, these cameras aid Curiosity in studying the Martian landscape, rocks, and soils; viewing changes in frost, cloud, and dust movements, and, supporting the driving and sampling operations of the rover.

Beyond helping us understand if Mars ever could have been a habitat for microbial life, the cameras can give us a real sense of what standing there ourselves would be like. Because Curiosity's "head" can swivel nearly all the way around, it can provide a 360° panoramic view of Mars. Much the way you might experience a visit to a national park, its HD capabilities also allow an unprecedented "tourist-style" family video of Mars!

Just like many people, Curiosity's two camera "eyes" do not have the same exact vision. The right-eye camera looks through a telephoto lens. It can distinguish a basketball from a football at a distance of seven football fields or read "ONE CENT" on a penny on the ground beside the rover. That's three times better resolution than past rover cameras. The left-eye camera provides a broader view of the terrain around the rover.

By collecting color Images, 3D stereo images, and video of the Martian terrain, these cameras aid Curiosity in studying the Martian landscape, rocks, and soils; viewing changes in frost, cloud, and dust movements, and, supporting the driving and sampling operations of the rover.

Beyond helping us understand if Mars ever could have been a habitat for microbial life, the cameras can give us a real sense of what standing there ourselves would be like. Because Curiosity's "head" can swivel nearly all the way around, it can provide a 360° panoramic view of Mars. Much the way you might experience a visit to a national park, its HD capabilities also allow an unprecedented "tourist-style" family video of Mars!

Curiosity has four pairs of cameras at the front and rear of the rover's "body" to detect hazardous obstacles in its path, such as large rocks, trenches, or sand dunes. The front Hazcams help engineers plan where to put the robotic arm, drill, and scoop to collect samples. The back cameras are important for driving backwards. Hazard avoidance is used when the rover planners cannot determine if the path is free of obstacles. Using these cameras, Curiosity stops frequently to get new stereo images in the drive direction and analyze them for potential hazards. Curiosity can "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously) by analyzing the 3D information. Of course, rover planners set variables in advance, such as how frequently to stop and check, which cameras to use, and what type of decision the rover makes in response to a hazard detection (whether to choose a path around it or stop driving for the day).

Curiosity has four pairs of cameras at the front and rear of the rover's "body" to detect hazardous obstacles in its path, such as large rocks, trenches, or sand dunes. The front Hazcams help engineers plan where to put the robotic arm, drill, and scoop to collect samples. The back cameras are important for driving backwards. Hazard avoidance is used when the rover planners cannot determine if the path is free of obstacles. Using these cameras, Curiosity stops frequently to get new stereo images in the drive direction and analyze them for potential hazards. Curiosity can "make its own decisions" (operate autonomously) by analyzing the 3D information. Of course, rover planners set variables in advance, such as how frequently to stop and check, which cameras to use, and what type of decision the rover makes in response to a hazard detection (whether to choose a path around it or stop driving for the day).

The backside of the rover is less crowded with instruments than other parts of the rover. The power source is the main feature, giving electrical power to allow the rover to perform all of its functions. Since the rover may at times move in reverse, hazard avoidance cameras showing the ground view are important (and help with driving at all times).

While it's hard to show, inside the body of the rover are its computer systems, two science chemistry labs (CheMin and SAM), and more!

Unlike people and animals, the rover "brains" are in its body. The rover has a "spare brain" just in case it needs a back-up computer. Just like the human brain, the rover computers register signs of health, temperature, and other features that keep the rover "alive." This main control loop essentially keeps the rover "alive" by constantly checking itself to ensure that it is both able to communicate throughout the surface mission and that it remains thermally stable (not too hot or too cold) at all times. It does so by periodically checking temperatures, particularly in the rover body, and responding to potential overheating conditions, recording power generation and power storage data throughout the Mars sol (a martian day), and scheduling and preparing for communication sessions.Curiosity's computers not only control the rover, but also serve as the main "brains" for the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft during the cruise from Earth and arrival at Mars. The flight software checks out the health of the spacecraft during all mission phases, checks for commands from Earth, and controls spacecraft activities.

Curiosity carries an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which enables the rover to make precise vertical, horizontal, and side-to-side (yaw) movements. Curiosity uses this device to ensure safe traverses as it navigates, estimating the degree of tilt the rover is experiencing on the surface of Mars.