Curiosity is aMars rover that is exploringGale crater andMount Sharp onMars as part ofNASA'sMars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission.[2] Launched in 2011 and landed the following year, the car-sized rover continues to operate more than a decade after its original two-year mission.
Curiosity was launched fromCape Canaveral,Florida on November 26, 2011, at 15:02:00UTC and landed onAeolis Palus inside Gale crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05:17:57 UTC.[3][4][5] TheBradbury Landing site was less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the center of the rover's touchdown target after a 560 million km (350 million mi) journey.[6][7]
In December 2012,Curiosity's two-year mission was extended indefinitely.[10][11][12] On August 6, 2022, a detailed overview of accomplishments by theCuriosity rover for the last ten years was reported.[13] The rover is still operational, and as of 19 November 2025,Curiosity has been active on Mars for 4724sols (4853total days;13 years, 105 days) since its landing (seecurrent status).
The NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Project Team was awarded the 2012Robert J. Collier Trophy by theNational Aeronautic Association "In recognition of the extraordinary achievements of successfully landingCuriosity on Mars, advancing the nation's technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments."[14]Curiosity's rover design serves as the basis for NASA's 2021Perseverance mission, which carries different scientific instruments.
Animation of theCuriosity rover, showing its capabilities
As established by theMars Exploration Program, the main scientific goals of the MSL mission are to help determine whether Mars could ever have supportedlife, as well as determining therole of water, and to study theclimate andgeology of Mars.[8][9] The mission results will also help prepare for human exploration.[9] To contribute to these goals, MSL has eight main scientific objectives:[15]
Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, includinggalactic and cosmic radiation,solar proton events andsecondary neutrons. As part of its exploration, it also measured the radiation exposure in the interior of the spacecraft as it traveled to Mars, and it is continuing radiation measurements as it explores the surface of Mars. This data would be important for a futurecrewed mission.[16]
About one year into the surface mission, and having assessed that ancient Mars could have been hospitable to microbial life, the MSL mission objectives evolved to developing predictive models for the preservation process oforganic compounds andbiomolecules; a branch of paleontology calledtaphonomy.[17] The region it is set to explore has been compared to theFour Corners region of theNorth American west.[18]
ANASA panel selected the nameCuriosity following a nationwide student contest that attracted more than 9,000 proposals via the Internet and mail. Twelve-year-old Clara Ma from Sunflower Elementary School inLenexa, Kansas submitted the winning entry. As her prize, Ma won a trip toNASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) inPasadena, California, where she signed her name directly onto the rover as it was being assembled.[19]
Ma wrote in her winning essay:
Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone's mind. It makes me get out of bed in the morning and wonder what surprises life will throw at me that day. Curiosity is such a powerful force. Without it, we wouldn't be who we are today. Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder.[19]
Adjusted for inflation,Curiosity has a life-cycle cost of US$3.2 billion dollars in 2020. By comparison, the 2021Perseverance rover has a life-cycle cost of US$2.9 billion.[20]
TwoJet Propulsion Laboratory engineers stand with three vehicles, providing a size comparison of three generations of Mars rovers. Front and center left is the flight spare for the first Mars rover,Sojourner, which landed on Mars in 1997 as part of theMars Pathfinder Project. On the left is aMars Exploration Rover (MER) test vehicle that is a working sibling toSpirit andOpportunity, which landed on Mars in 2004. On the right is a test rover for theMars Science Laboratory, which landed asCuriosity on Mars in 2012.Sojourner is 65 cm (26 in) long. The Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) are 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) long.Curiosity on the right is 3 m (9.8 ft) long.
Curiosity is 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) long by 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) wide by 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) high,[21] larger than Mars Exploration Rovers, which are 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) long and have a mass of 174 kg (384 lb) including 6.8 kg (15 lb) of scientific instruments.[22][23][24] In comparison toPancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers, the MastCam-34 has 1.25× higherspatial resolution and the MastCam-100 has 3.67× higher spatial resolution.[25]
Curiosity has an advancedpayload of scientific equipment on Mars.[26] It is the fourth NASA robotic rover sent to Mars since 1996. Previous successful Mars rovers areSojourner from theMars Pathfinder mission (1997), andSpirit (2004–2010) andOpportunity (2004–2018) rovers from theMars Exploration Rover mission.
Curiosity comprised 23% of the mass of the 3,893 kg (8,583 lb) spacecraft at launch. The remaining mass was discarded in the process of transport and landing.
Dimensions:Curiosity has a mass of 899 kg (1,982 lb) including 80 kg (180 lb) of scientific instruments.[22] The rover is 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) long by 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) wide by 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) in height.[21]
The main box-like chassis forms the Warm Electronics Box (WEB).[27]: 52
Radioisotope pellet within a graphite shell that fuels the generator
Radioisotope Power System forCuriosity at Kennedy Space Center
Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) are generators that produce electricity from the decay ofradioactive isotopes, such asplutonium-238, which is a non-fissile isotope of plutonium. Heat given off by the decay of this isotope generates electrical power usingthermocouples, providing consistent power during all seasons and through the day and night.Waste heat is also used via pipes to warm systems, freeing electrical power for the operation of the vehicle and instruments.[28][29]Curiosity's RTG is fueled by 4.8 kg (11 lb) ofplutonium-238 dioxide supplied by theU.S. Department of Energy.[30]
Curiosity's RTG is theMulti-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), designed and built byRocketdyne andTeledyne Energy Systems under contract to theU.S. Department of Energy,[31] and fueled and tested by theIdaho National Laboratory.[32] Based on legacy RTG technology, it represents a more flexible and compact development step,[33] and is designed to produce 110 watts of electrical power and about 2,000 watts of thermal power at the start of the mission.[28][29] The MMRTG produces less power over time as its plutonium fuel decays: at its minimum lifetime of 14 years, electrical power output is down to 100 watts.[34][35] The power source generates 9 MJ (2.5 kWh) of electrical energy each day, much more than the solar panels of the now retiredMars Exploration Rovers, which generated about 2.1 MJ (0.58 kWh) each day. The electrical output from the MMRTG charges two rechargeablelithium-ion batteries. This enables the power subsystem to meet peak power demands of rover activities when the demand temporarily exceeds the generator's steady output level. Each battery has a capacity of about 42ampere hours.
Heat rejection system: The temperatures at the landing site vary seasonally and the thermal system warms the rover as needed. The thermal system does so in several ways: passively, through the dissipation to internal components; by electrical heaters strategically placed on key components; and by using the rover heat rejection system (HRS).[27] It uses fluid pumped through 60 m (200 ft) of tubing[citation needed] in the rover body so that sensitive components are kept at optimal temperatures.[36] The fluid loop serves the additional purpose of rejecting heat when the rover has become too warm, and it can also gather waste heat from the power source by pumping fluid through two heat exchangers that are mounted alongside the RTG. The HRS also has the ability to cool components if necessary.[36]
Computers: The two identical on-board rover computers, called Rover Compute Element (RCE) containradiation hardened memory to tolerate the extreme radiation from space and to safeguard against power-off cycles. The computers run theVxWorksreal-time operating system (RTOS). Each computer's memory includes 256kilobytes (kB) ofEEPROM, 256megabytes (MB) ofdynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and 2gigabytes (GB) offlash memory.[37] For comparison, the Mars Exploration Rovers used 3 MB of EEPROM, 128 MB of DRAM, and 256 MB of flash memory.[38]
The RCE computers use theRAD750Central processing unit (CPU), which is a successor to theRAD6000 CPU of the Mars Exploration Rovers.[39][40] The IBM RAD750 CPU, a radiation-hardened version of thePowerPC 750, can execute up to 400Million instructions per second (MIPS), while the RAD6000 CPU is capable of up to only 35 MIPS.[41][42] Of the two on-board computers, one is configured as backup and will take over in the event of problems with the main computer.[37] On February 28, 2013, NASA was forced to switch to the backup computer due to a problem with the active computer's flash memory, which resulted in the computer continuously rebooting in a loop. The backup computer was turned on insafe mode and subsequently returned to active status on March 4, 2013.[43] The same problem happened in late March, resuming full operations on March 25, 2013.[44]
The rover has aninertial measurement unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which is used in rover navigation.[37] The rover's computers are constantly self-monitoring to keep the rover operational, such as by regulating the rover's temperature.[37] Activities such as taking pictures, driving, and operating the instruments are performed in a command sequence that is sent from the flight team to the rover.[37] The rover installed its full surface operations software after the landing because its computers did not have sufficient main memory available during flight. The new software essentially replaced the flight software.[7]
The rover has four processors. One of them is aSPARCprocessor that runs the rover's thrusters and descent-stage motors as it descended through theMartian atmosphere. Two others arePowerPC processors: the main processor, which handles nearly all of the rover's ground functions, and that processor's backup. The fourth one, anotherSPARC processor, commands the rover's movement and is part of itsmotor controller box. All four processors aresingle core.[45]
Curiosity transmits to Earth directly or via three relay satellites in Mars orbit.
Communications:Curiosity is equipped with significant telecommunication redundancy by several means: anX bandtransmitter and receiver that can communicate directly with Earth, and anUltra high frequency (UHF)Electra-Litesoftware-defined radio for communicating with Mars orbiters.[27] Communication with orbiters is the main path for data return to Earth, since the orbiters have both more power and larger antennas than the lander, allowing for faster transmission speeds.[27] Telecommunication included a small deep space transponder on the descent stage and a solid-state power amplifier on the rover forX-band. The rover also has two UHF radios,[27] the signals of which orbiting relay satellites are capable of relaying back to Earth. Signals between Earth and Mars take an average of 14 minutes, 6 seconds.[46]Curiosity can communicate with Earth directly at speeds up to 32 kbit/s, but the bulk of the data transfer is being relayed through theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter andOdyssey orbiter. Data transfer speeds betweenCuriosity and each orbiter may reach 2000 kbit/s and 256 kbit/s, respectively, but each orbiter is able to communicate withCuriosity for only about eight minutes per day (0.56% of the time).[47] Communication from and toCuriosity relies on internationally agreed space datacommunications protocols as defined by theConsultative Committee for Space Data Systems.[48]
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is the central data distribution hub where selected data products are provided to remote science operations sites as needed. JPL is also the central hub for the uplink process, though participants are distributed at their respective home institutions.[27] At landing, telemetry was monitored by three orbiters, depending on their dynamic location: the2001 Mars Odyssey,Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA'sMars Express satellite.[49] As of February 2019, theMAVEN orbiter is being positioned to serve as a relay orbiter while continuing its science mission.[50]
Close-up view of a well-worn wheel on the surface, which also shows the Morse code pattern for JPL.
Mobility systems:Curiosity is equipped with six 50 cm (20 in) diameter wheels in arocker-bogie suspension. These are scaled versions of those used onMars Exploration Rovers (MER).[27] The suspension system also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors.[51][52] Each wheel has cleats and is independently actuated and geared, providing for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. Each front and rear wheel can be independently steered, allowing the vehicle to turn in place as well as execute arcing turns.[27] Each wheel has a pattern that helps it maintain traction but also leaves patterned tracks in the sandy surface of Mars. That pattern is used by on-board cameras to estimate the distance traveled. The pattern itself isMorse code for "JPL" (·--- ·--· ·-··).[53] The rover is capable of climbing sand dunes with slopes up to 12.5°.[54] Based on thecenter of mass, the vehicle can withstand a tilt of at least 50° in any direction without overturning, but automatic sensors limit the rover from exceeding 30° tilts.[27] After six years of use, the wheels are visibly worn with punctures and tears.[55]
Curiosity can roll over obstacles approaching 65 cm (26 in) in height,[26] and it has a ground clearance of 60 cm (24 in).[56] Based on variables including power levels, terrain difficulty, slippage and visibility, the maximum terrain-traverse speed is estimated to be 200 m (660 ft) per day by automatic navigation.[26] The rover landed about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the base ofMount Sharp,[57] (officially namedAeolis Mons) and it is expected to traverse a minimum of 19 km (12 mi) during its primary two-year mission.[58] It can travel up to 90 m (300 ft) per hour but average speed is about 30 m (98 ft) per hour.[58] The vehicle is 'driven' by several operators led byVandi Verma, group leader of Autonomous Systems, Mobility and Robotic Systems at JPL,[59][60] who also cowrote thePLEXIL language used to operate the rover.[61][62][63]
Curiosity landed in Quad 51 (nicknamedYellowknife) ofAeolis Palus in the crater Gale.[64][65][66][67] The landing site coordinates are:4°35′22″S137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E /-4.5895; 137.4417.[68][69] The location was namedBradbury Landing on August 22, 2012, in honor of science fiction authorRay Bradbury.[6] Gale, an estimated 3.5 to 3.8 billion-year-old impact crater, is hypothesized to have first been gradually filled in bysediments; first water-deposited, and then wind-deposited, possibly until it was completely covered. Winderosion then scoured out the sediments, leaving an isolated 5.5 km (3.4 mi) mountain,Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp"), at the center of the 154 km (96 mi) wide crater. Thus, it is believed that the rover may have the opportunity to study two billion years of Martian history in the sediments exposed in the mountain. Additionally, its landing site is near analluvial fan, which is hypothesized to be the result of a flow of ground water, either before the deposition of the eroded sediments or else in relatively recent geologic history.[70][71]
According to NASA, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 heat-resistantbacterial spores were onCuriosity at launch, and as many as 1,000 times that number may not have been counted.[72]
NASA video describing the landing procedure. NASA dubbed the landing as "Seven Minutes of Terror"
Previous NASAMars rovers became active only after the successful entry, descent and landing on the Martian surface.Curiosity, on the other hand, was active when it touched down on the surface of Mars, employing the rover suspension system for the final set-down.[73]
Curiosity transformed from its stowed flight configuration to a landing configuration while the MSL spacecraft simultaneously lowered it beneath the spacecraft descent stage with a 20 m (66 ft) tether from the "sky crane" system to a soft landing – wheels down – on the surface of Mars.[74][75][76][77] After the rover touched down it waited two seconds to confirm that it was on solid ground then fired severalpyrotechnic fasteners activating cable cutters on the bridle to free itself from the spacecraft descent stage. The descent stage then flew away to a crash landing, and the rover prepared itself to begin the science portion of the mission.[78]
Curiosity has two full sized, vehicle system test beds (VSTB), a twin rover used for testing and problem solving,MAGGIE rover (Mars Automated Giant Gizmo for Integrated Engineering) with a computer brain and aScarecrow rover without a computer brain. They are housed at the JPL Mars Yard for problem solving on simulated Mars terrain.[79][80]
The general sample analysis strategy begins with high-resolution cameras to look for features of interest. If a particular surface is of interest,Curiosity can vaporize a small portion of it with an infrared laser and examine the resulting spectra signature to query the rock's elemental composition. If that signature is intriguing, the rover uses its long arm to swing over amicroscope and anX-ray spectrometer to take a closer look. If the specimen warrants further analysis,Curiosity can drill into the boulder and deliver a powdered sample to either theSample Analysis at Mars (SAM) or theCheMin analytical laboratories inside the rover.[81][82][83]
The turret at the end of the robotic arm holds five devices.
The Mastcam system provides multiple spectra andtrue-color imaging with two cameras.[85] The cameras can take true-color images at 1600×1200pixels and up to 10frames per second hardware-compressed video at720p (1280×720).[90]
One Mastcam camera is the Medium Angle Camera (MAC; also referred to as Mastcam-34 and Mastcam-Left), which has a 34 mm (1.3 in)focal length, a 15°field of view, and can yield 22 cm/pixel (8.7 in/pixel) scale at 1 km (0.62 mi). The other camera in the Mastcam is the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC; also Mastcam-100 and Mastcam-Right), which has a 100 mm (3.9 in) focal length, a 5.1° field of view, and can yield 7.4 cm/pixel (2.9 in/pixel) scale at 1 km (0.62 mi).[85] Malin also developed a pair of Mastcams with zoom lenses,[91] but these were not included in the rover because of the time required to test the new hardware and the looming November 2011 launch date.[92] However, the improved zoom version was selected to be incorporated on theMars 2020 mission asMastcam-Z.[93]
Each camera has eight gigabytes of flash memory, which is capable of storing over 5,500 raw images, and can apply real timelossless data compression.[85] The cameras have an autofocus capability that allows them to focus on objects from 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) to infinity.[25] In addition to the fixedRGBG Bayer pattern filter, each camera has an eight-position filter wheel. While the Bayer filter reduces visible light throughput, all three colors are mostly transparent at wavelengths longer than 700 nm, and have minimal effect on suchinfrared observations.[85]
ChemCam is a suite of two remote sensing instruments combined as one: alaser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and a Remote Micro Imager (RMI) telescope. The ChemCam instrument suite was developed by the FrenchCESR laboratory and theLos Alamos National Laboratory.[94][95][96] The flight model of the mast unit was delivered from the FrenchCNES toLos Alamos National Laboratory.[97] The purpose of the LIBS instrument is to provide elemental compositions of rock and regolith, while the RMI gives ChemCam scientists high-resolution images of the sampling areas of the rocks and regolith that LIBS targets.[94][98] The LIBS instrument can target a rock or regolith sample up to 7 m (23 ft) away, vaporizing a small amount of it with about 50 to 75 5-nanosecond pulses from a 1067nminfrared laser and then observes the spectrum of the light emitted by the vaporized rock.[99]
ChemCam has the ability to record up to 6,144 different wavelengths ofultraviolet,visible, andinfrared light.[100] Detection of the ball of luminous plasma is done in the visible, near-UV and near-infrared ranges, between 240 nm and 800 nm.[94] The first initiallaser testing of the ChemCam byCuriosity on Mars was performed on a rock,N165 ("Coronation" rock), nearBradbury Landing on August 19, 2012.[101][102][103] The ChemCam team expects to take approximately one dozen compositional measurements of rocks per day.[104] Using the same collection optics, the RMI provides context images of the LIBS analysis spots. The RMI resolves 1 mm (0.039 in) objects at 10 m (33 ft) distance, and has a field of view covering 20 cm (7.9 in) at that distance.[94]
REMS comprises instruments to measure the Mars environment: humidity, pressure, temperatures, wind speeds, and ultraviolet radiation.[108] It is a meteorological package that includes anultraviolet sensor provided by theSpanish Ministry of Education and Science. The investigative team is led by Javier Gómez-Elvira of theSpanish Astrobiology Center and includes theFinnish Meteorological Institute as a partner.[109][110] All sensors are located around three elements: two booms attached to the rover's mast, the Ultraviolet Sensor (UVS) assembly located on the rover top deck, and the Instrument Control Unit (ICU) inside the rover body. REMS provides new clues about the Martian general circulation, micro scale weather systems, local hydrological cycle, destructive potential of UV radiation, and subsurface habitability based on ground-atmosphere interaction.[109]
The rover has four pairs of black and white navigation cameras calledhazcams, two pairs in the front and two pairs in the back.[105][111] They are used for autonomous hazard avoidance during rover drives and for safe positioning of the robotic arm on rocks and regolith.[111] Each camera in a pair is hardlinked to one of two identical main computers for redundancy; only four out of the eight cameras are in use at any one time. The cameras use visible light to capturestereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) imagery.[111] The cameras have a 120°field of view and map the terrain at up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in front of the rover.[111] This imagery safeguards against the rover crashing into unexpected obstacles, and works in tandem with software that allows the rover to make its own safety choices.[111]
MAHLI is a camera on the rover's robotic arm, and acquires microscopic images of rock and regolith. MAHLI can taketrue-color images at 1600×1200pixels with a resolution as high as 14.5µm per pixel. MAHLI has an 18.3 to 21.3 mm (0.72 to 0.84 in) focal length and a 33.8–38.5° field of view.[86] MAHLI has both white and ultravioletLight-emitting diode (LED) illumination for imaging in darkness orfluorescence imaging. MAHLI also has mechanical focusing in a range from infinite to millimeter distances.[86] This system can make some images withfocus stacking processing.[112] MAHLI can store either the raw images or do real time lossless predictive or JPEG compression. The calibration target for MAHLI includes color references, a metric bar graphic, a 1909 VDB Lincoln penny, and a stair-step pattern for depth calibration.[113]
CheMin is the Chemistry and MineralogyX-raypowder diffraction andfluorescence instrument.[118] CheMin is one of fourspectrometers. It can identify and quantify the abundance of the minerals on Mars. It was developed by David Blake at NASAAmes Research Center and theJet Propulsion Laboratory,[119] and won the 2013 NASA Government Invention of the year award.[120] The rover can drill samples from rocks and the resulting fine powder is poured into the instrument via a sample inlet tube on the top of the vehicle. A beam of X-rays is then directed at the powder and the crystal structure of the minerals deflects it at characteristic angles, allowing scientists to identify the minerals being analyzed.[121]
CheMin eventually found carbonates in the form of crystallinesiderite (FeCO3). One rock contained over 10 % of the mineral. Some rocks also were composed of plagioclase with the elements sodium (Na)–, Ca-, and aluminum (Al)–, as well as Ca- and Mg-bearing silicate mineral pyroxene. Other minerals found were calcium sulfates, magnesium sulfates, different amounts of iron oxyhydroxides, and an unidentified x-ray amorphous material. Rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument uses x-ray diffraction to determine sample mineralogy. The names of the rock formations and drill sites are CA, Canaima; TC, Tapo Caparo; UB, Ubajara; and SQ, Sequoia. V[124]
First use ofCuriosity'sDust Removal Tool (DRT) (January 6, 2013);Ekwir_1 rock before/after cleaning (left) and closeup (right)
The Dust Removal Tool (DRT) is a motorized, wire-bristle brush on the turret at the end ofCuriosity's arm. The DRT was first used on a rock target namedEkwir_1 on January 6, 2013.Honeybee Robotics built the DRT.[129]
The role of theRadiation assessment detector (RAD) instrument is to characterize the broad spectrum of radiation environment found inside the spacecraft during the cruise phase and while on Mars. These measurements have never been done before from the inside of a spacecraft in interplanetary space. Its primary purpose is to determine the viability and shielding needs for potential human explorers, as well as to characterize the radiation environment on the surface of Mars, which it started doing immediately after MSL landed in August 2012.[130] Funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate atNASA Headquarters and Germany's Space Agency (DLR), RAD was developed bySouthwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the extraterrestrial physics group atChristian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany.[130][131]
The DAN instrument employs aneutron source and detector for measuring the quantity and depth ofhydrogen or ice and water at or near the Martian surface.[132] The instrument consists of the detector element (DE) and a 14.1 MeV pulsing neutron generator (PNG). The die-away time of neutrons is measured by the DE after each neutron pulse from the PNG.DAN was provided by theRussian Federal Space Agency[133][134] and funded by Russia.[135]
MARDI is fixed to the lower front left corner of the body ofCuriosity. During the descent to the Martian surface, MARDI took color images at 1600×1200 pixels with a 1.3-millisecond exposure time starting at distances of about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) to near 5 m (16 ft) from the ground, at a rate of fourframes per second for about two minutes.[87][136] MARDI has a pixel scale of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) at 2 km (1.2 mi) to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) at 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and has a 90° circular field of view. MARDI has eight gigabytes of internal buffer memory that is capable of storing over 4,000 raw images. MARDI imaging allowed the mapping of surrounding terrain and the location of landing.[87]JunoCam, built for theJuno spacecraft, is based on MARDI.[137]
The rover has a 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) longrobotic arm with a cross-shaped turret holding five devices that can spin through a 350° turning range.[139][140] The arm makes use of three joints to extend it forward and to stow it again while driving. It has a mass of 30 kg (66 lb) and its diameter, including the tools mounted on it, is about 60 cm (24 in).[141] It was designed, built, and tested byMDA US Systems, building upon their prior robotic arm work on theMars Surveyor 2001 Lander, thePhoenix lander, and the twoMars Exploration Rovers,Spirit andOpportunity.[142]
Two of the five devices arein-situ or contact instruments known as theX-ray spectrometer (APXS), and theMars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI camera). The remaining three are associated with sample acquisition and sample preparation functions: apercussion drill; a brush; and mechanisms for scooping, sieving, and portioning samples of powdered rock and regolith.[139][141] The diameter of the hole in a rock after drilling is 1.6 cm (0.63 in) and up to 5 cm (2.0 in) deep.[140][143] The drill carries two spare bits.[143][144] The rover's arm and turret system can place the APXS and MAHLI on their respective targets, and also obtain powdered sample from rock interiors, and deliver them to theSAM andCheMin analyzers inside the rover.[140]
Since early 2015 the percussive mechanism in the drill that helps chisel into rock has had an intermittent electrical short.[145] On December 1, 2016, the motor inside the drill caused a malfunction that prevented the rover from moving its robotic arm and driving to another location.[146] The fault was isolated to the drill feed brake,[147] and internal debris is suspected of causing the problem.[145] By December 9, 2016, driving and robotic arm operations were cleared to continue, but drilling remained suspended indefinitely.[148] TheCuriosity team continued to perform diagnostics and testing on the drill mechanism throughout 2017,[149] and resumed drilling operations on May 22, 2018.[150]
Celebration erupts at NASA with the rover's successful landing on Mars (August 6, 2012).
Live video showing the first footage from the surface of Mars was available atNASA TV, during the late hours of August 6, 2012, PDT, including interviews with the mission team. The NASA website momentarily became unavailable from the overwhelming number of people visiting it,[151] and a 13-minute NASA excerpt of the landings on its YouTube channel was halted an hour after the landing by an automatedcopyright takedown notice fromScripps Local News, which prevented access for several hours.[152] Around 1,000 people gathered in New York City'sTimes Square, to watch NASA's live broadcast ofCuriosity's landing, as footage was being shown on the giant screen.[153]Bobak Ferdowsi, Flight Director for the landing, became anInternet meme and attained Twitter celebrity status, with 45,000 new followers subscribing to his Twitter account, due to hisMohawk hairstyle with yellow stars that he wore during the televised broadcast.[154][155]
On August 13, 2012, U.S. PresidentBarack Obama, calling from aboardAir Force One to congratulate theCuriosity team, said, "You guys are examples of American know-how and ingenuity. It's really an amazing accomplishment".[156] (Video (07:20)Archived May 21, 2013, at theWayback Machine)
Scientists at theGetty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, California, viewed the CheMin instrument aboardCuriosity as a potentially valuable means to examine ancient works of art without damaging them. Until recently, only a few instruments were available to determine the composition without cutting out physical samples large enough to potentially damage the artifacts. CheMin directs a beam ofX-rays at particles as small as 400 μm (0.016 in)[157] and reads theradiationscattered back to determine the composition of the artifact in minutes. Engineers created a smaller, portable version named theX-Duetto. Fitting into a fewbriefcase-sized boxes, it can examine objects on site, while preserving their physical integrity. It is now being used by Getty scientists to analyze a large collection of museumantiques and the Roman ruins ofHerculaneum, Italy.[158]
Prior to the landing, NASA andMicrosoft releasedMars Rover Landing, a free downloadable game onXbox Live that usesKinect to capture body motions, which allows users to simulate the landing sequence.[159]
NASA gave the general public the opportunity from 2009 until 2011 to submit their names to be sent to Mars. More than 1.2 million people from the international community participated, and their names were etched intosilicon using an electron-beam machine used for fabricating micro devices atJPL, and this plaque is now installed on the deck ofCuriosity.[160] In keeping with a 40-year tradition, a plaque with the signatures of President Barack Obama andVice President Joe Biden was also installed. Elsewhere on the rover is theautograph of Clara Ma, the 12-year-old girl fromKansas who gaveCuriosity its name in an essay contest, writing in part that "curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives".[161]
On August 6, 2013,Curiosity audibly played "Happy Birthday to You" in honor of the one Earth year mark of its Martian landing, the first time for a song to be played on another planet. This was also the first time music was transmitted between two planets.[162]
In 2014, project chief engineer wrote a book detailing the development of the Curiosity rover. "Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer," is a firsthand account of the development and landing of the Curiosity Rover.
As reported in 2018, drill samples taken in 2015 uncovered organic molecules ofbenzene andpropane in 3 billion year old rock samples in Gale.[165][166][167]
In popular culture, the launch ofCuriosity is referenced in the music video forHarry Styles' 2023 song, "Satellite".[168]
In March 2024 it was published that Curiosity discovered long chainalkanes with up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, inmudstone in Gale crater. The origin of these molecules is unknown. They could be derived from either abiotic or biological sources.[169]
^"Where Is Curiosity?".science.nasa.gov. NASA. April 18, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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^Harwood, William (December 4, 2012)."NASA announces plans for new $1.5 billion Mars rover".CNET. RetrievedDecember 5, 2012.Using spare parts and mission plans developed for NASA'sCuriosity Mars rover, the space agency says it can build and launch a new rover in 2020 and stay within current budget guidelines.
^Chang, Kenneth (June 7, 2018)."Life on Mars? Rover's Latest Discovery Puts It "On the Table"".The New York Times. RetrievedJune 8, 2018.The identification of organic molecules in rocks on the red planet does not necessarily point to life there, past or present, but does indicate that some of the building blocks were present.
Missions are ordered by launch date. Sign† indicates failure en route or before intended mission data returned.‡ indicates use of the planet as agravity assist en route to another destination.
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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