The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity aims to assess whether the Martian environment has ever been habitable to life. The 10 science instruments aboard Curiosity have a combined Earth weight of 165 pounds (75 kilograms).
Curiosity’s mission has four goals: to assess the biological potential of at least one target area, to characterize the geology of the landing site, to investigate past planetary processes relevant to habitability, and to characterize the surface radiation in the Mars environment.
The rover cannot detect either present-day life or fossilized microorganisms. Curiosity’s instruments are capable of verifying three conditions thought to be necessary for life: liquid water, certain chemical ingredients, and an energy source.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration
A 7-foot (2.1 meters) robot arm carries a rock drill, soil sampling scoop, radiation-emitting experiment and a camera equipped with a magnifying lens.
Nuclear batteries provide up to 14 years of electric power.
The rover’s mobility system has six 20-inch (0.5 meters) wheels that drive the rover at a top speed of 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) per second and are designed to cover at least 12 miles (20 kilometers) of rocky Martian terrain.
- Mars Rover Curiosity: Mars Science Lab Coverage
- 7 Biggest Mysteries of Mars
- The Best (And Worst) Mars Landings in History
