Curiosity Science Instruments
Curiosity’s scientific instruments are the tools that bring us stunning images of Mars and ground-breaking discoveries.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
A camera that takes color images and color video footage of the Martian terrain. The instrument is also used to study the Martian landscape and support the driving and sampling operations of the rover.
Animation showing the location of the MastCam on the Curiosity rover.
Main Job | To take panoramic color images of the surface and atmospheric features and the terrain ahead of the rover. |
Location | Mounted about human-eye height, about 6.5 feet (2.0 meters), with about 10 inches (25 centimeters) between them. |
Color Quality | Similar to that of consumer digital cameras; 2 megapixels. |
Image Size | ~1600 X 1200 pixels |
Image Resolution | RESOLUTION: 2.9 inches (7.4 centimeters) per pixel at a distance of about six-tenths of a mile (1 kilometer) and about 0.006 inch (150 microns) per pixel at a distance of 6.6 feet (2 meters) Left Eye (Mastcam-34) 450 microns/pixel at ~6.5-foot (2-meter) distance 22 centimeters/pixel at ~.6 miles (1 kilometer) Right Eye (Mastcam-100) ~150 microns/pixel at ~6.5-foot (2-meter) distance 7.4 centimeters/pixel scale at ~.6 miles (1 kilometer) |
Focal Length | In focus from about 6 feet (2.1 meters), the nearest view of the surface, to infinity Left Eye ~34 mm Right Eye ~100 mm |
Focal Ratio and Field of View | Left Eye f/8 and 15° to f/8.5 and 39.4° |
Stereo Baseline of the Pair | ~24.5 cm |
Memory | 8 Gigabyte memory allows several hours of HD video or 5,500+ raw frames to be stored (e.g., a full-scale mosaic of 360° x 80° imaged in 3 science color filters with at least 20% overlap between images) |
HD Video | 10 frames per second |
A camera that provides earthbound scientists with close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust.
Location of Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Microscopic Imaging of minerals, textures and structures in rocks and soil at scales smaller than the diameter of a human hair. |
Location | Mounted on the turret at the end of the robotic arm. |
Color Quality | Similar to that of consumer digital cameras, with an autofocus ability. |
Image Size | Up to 1600 x 1200 pixels |
Focal Length | In focus from 18.3 mm at the closest working distance to 21.3 mm at infinity |
Focal Ratio and Field of View | From f/9.8 and 34° to f/8.5 and 39.4° |
Memory | 8 Gigabyte flash memory storage; 128 megabyte synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) |
HD Video | 720p |
Other | First sends back thumbnails so scientists can select best images to send back to Earth |
A camera that took color video during the rover's descent toward the surface, providing an "astronaut's view" of the local environment.
The location of Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Took pictures during the spacecraft descent through the Martian atmosphere. |
Location | Mounted on the fore-port-side of the rover, pointing toward the ground. |
Memory | 8 Gigabyte flash memory storage allows over 4,000 raw frames |
HD Video | Four color frames per second; close to 1,600 X 1,200 pixels per frame |
A spectrometer that measures the abundance of chemical elements in rocks and soils.
Location of Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Analyze chemical elements in Martian rock and "soil" (regolith). |
Location | On the turret at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. |
Size | About the size of a cupcake. |
Size of Sampled Area | Possibility of 13.9 microns/pixel |
Focal Length | About 1.7 cm in diameter when the instrument is in contact with the sample. |
Upgrades | Can operate day or night and takes about one-third of the time to process readings. |
An instrument that first uses a laser to vaporize materials then later analyzes their elemental composition using an on-board spectrograph.
Location of the Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | To analyze the chemical composition of rocks and soil. |
Location | The laser, telescope, and camera sit on Curiosity's mast (its "forehead"), while the spectrometer is located in its "body". |
Components | Telescope: Focuses laser and camera Remote Micro-Imager: One of Curiosity's "eyes," captures detailed images of the area illuminated by the laser beam Laser: Vaporizes rock surfaces, creating a plasma of their component gases Spectrometer: Three spectrographs divide the plasma light into wavelengths for chemical analysis |
An instrument that identifies and measures the abundances of various minerals on Mars.
Location of Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction (CheMin) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | To analyze the chemical composition of rocks and soil. |
Location | Inside the Curiosity rover's body. |
Size | About the size of a laptop computer inside a carrying case. |
Spectrometer Type | An X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument. |
Measurement | Takes up to 10 hours of analysis time, spread out over two or more Martian nights, although some samples may provide acceptable results in a single sol (Martian day). |
A suite of instruments that searches for compounds of the element carbon that are associated with life and explores ways in which they are generated and destroyed in the Martian ecosphere.
Location of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Identify a wide range of organic (carbon-containing) compounds. |
Location | Inside the rover body, on the front end of the rover. |
Size | A box about the size of a microwave oven. |
Weight | About 40 kilograms. |
Components | Gas Chromatograph: Separates gases to aid in identifying them Mass Spectrometer: Detecting key elements necessary for life (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, oxygen and carbon) Tunable Laser Spectrometer: Detecting water vapor and understanding the history of Mars atmosphere or determining whether methane, if found, is produced by life or geologic processes Sample Manipulation System: Wheel of 74 small cups for samples (9 cups contain calibration samples; 9 filled with chemical solvents for lower-temperature wet chemistry experiments, and 59 quartz cups that are small ovens for heating the powdered samples to extract gases) Sensitivity: Detects less than one part-per-billion of an organic compound Ovens: Heat most rock samples to about 1,000 degrees Celsius (about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) to extract gases for analysis |
An instrument that measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the Martian surface, such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays.
Location of the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Monitored the space radiation in space on the way to Mars and then on the surface as the rover roves. 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. |
Location | Rover Deck, pointed toward the sky. |
Size | Similar to a small toaster or six-pack of soda. |
A pulsing neutron generator that is used to detect water content as low as one-tenth of 1 percent and resolve layers of water and ice beneath the surface.
Location of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Search for signs of water by measuring the hydrogen in the ground below. Detections of hydrogen may indicate the presence of water bound in minerals. |
Location | On the aft-port-side of the rover "body." |
Capability | Measures subsurface hydrogen up to one meter (three feet) below the surface. |
Sensitivity | Can detect water content as low as 1/10th of 1 percent. |
An instrument that measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on Martian weather.
Location of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on the Mars Curiosity rover.
Main Job | Weather station to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, plus ultraviolet radiation levels. |
Location | Two "bolt-like" booms on the rover's mast ("neck") that measure wind, ground temperature and humidity UV sensor on the rover deck ("back") about 1.5 meters above ground level pressure sensor inside the rover body and connected to the external atmosphere via a tube that exits the rover body through a small opening with protection against dust deposition. |
Capability | Designed to survive a -130 °C to +70 °C temperature range and minimize power consumption for operation. |
Measurements | Autonomously record at least 5 minutes of data at 1 Hz each hour, every sol (Martian day), for all sensors (i.e., total baseline of two hours per sol); maximum of three hours of operation per sol allows a continuous block of monitoring time if desired. |
An instrument that collected engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere.
Main Job | To collect engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere. |
Location | Spacecraft heatshield |
Mass | 12.5 kilograms for the instrument suite. |
Power | 30 Watts during entry, descent and landing (EDL); no power during launch and cruise phases. |
Size | Seven pressure ports and seven integrated sensor plugs throughout the headshield, as well as supporting electronics and wiring: MEDLI Integrated Sensor Plug (MISP) Each plug is 1.3 inches (33 millimeters) in diameter and 0.8 inch (20.3 millimeters) deep. Mars Entry Atmospheric Data System (MEADS) Port diameter is 0.1 inch (2.54 millimeters) in diameter; tube, transducer, and fittings require a volume of 3.0 by 3.4 by 7.2 inches (76 x 86 x 183 millimeters) in the interior of the heatshield. Sensor Support Electronics (SSE) Two electronic boards housed in a 3.0 by 9.75 by 13.25-inch (76.2 by 247.7 by 336.6 millimeter) aluminum chassis. |
Data Return | 0.9 MB (megabytes) of raw data. |