Mars Curiosity Rover

Part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, at the time of launch Curiosity was the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars at that time.

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Mars rover sitting on the red soil of mars and facing the camera for a selfie

Part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, Curiosity, was the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars when it launched in 2011. Curiosity set out to answer the question: Did Mars ever have the right environmental conditions to support small life forms called microbes? Early in its mission, Curiosity's scientific tools found chemical and mineral evidence of past habitable environments on Mars. It continues to explore the rock record from a time when Mars could have been home to microbial life.

Type

Rover

Launch / Landing

Nov. 26, 2011 /
Aug. 6, 2012

Target

Mars

Objective

Determine if Mars was ever able to support microbial life

Meet Curiosity

A 3D model of the Mars Curiosity Rover.

NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD)

Size

About the size of a small SUV — 10 feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall), not including the arm.

Arm of the Curiosity rover from 3d rendering

Arm reach

About 7 feet (2.2 meters)

Mass/weight

1,982 lbs (899 kilograms) on Earth gravity; 743 lbs in Mars gravity (899 kilograms)

Front closeup of Curiosity rover from 3d model

Features

Geology lab, rocker-bogie suspension, rock-vaporizing laser and lots of cameras

Landing Site: Gale Crater

Curiosity explores Gale Crater and acquires rock, soil, and air samples for onboard analysis. The car-size rover is about as tall as a basketball player and uses a 7 foot-long arm to place tools close to rocks selected for study. Curiosity's large size allows it to carry an advanced kit of 10 science instruments. It has tools including 17 cameras, a laser to vaporize and study small pinpoint spots of rocks at a distance, and a drill to collect powdered rock samples. It hunts for special rocks that formed in water and/or have signs of organics.

^{The Curiosity rover has taught us a lot about the history of Mars and its potential to support life. Take a tour of its landing site, Gale Crater. Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech}

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