Digging Up Answers on the Red Planet

On Nov. 26, 2011, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Nine months after it began its journey through deep space, NASA's Curiosity rover successfully landed on the Red Planet, on the floor of Gale Crator on Aug. 6, 2012 (Universal Time).

Built to Explore the Unknown   

At about three meters, or 10 feet, Curiosity is about twice as long and five times as heavy as NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. It inherited design elements from them, such as six-wheel drive, a rocker-bogie suspension system, and cameras mounted on a mast to help the mission's team on Earth select exploration targets and routes.

Diagram of Curiosity. Image via nasa.gov.

Unlike previous Mars rovers, Curiosity carries equipment to gather samples of rock and soil, process them, and distribute them to onboard test chambers inside analytical instruments. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the builder of the Mars Science Laboratory, engineered Curiosity to roll over obstacles up to 65 centimeters (25 inches) high and to travel up to about 200 meters (660 feet) per day on Martian terrain.

Mission Overview

Once on Mars, Curiosity began to investigate the Martian climate and geology, assessing whether the selected field site ever offered environmental conditions for microbial life, including investigation for traces of water. Curiosity was also sent to study Mars' planetary habitability in preparation for future human exploration.

Curiosity exploring Mars. Image via nasa.gov.

Racking up Goals

As Curiosity has been roving about the Red Planet for many months, it's already accomplished a number of goals.

• Radiation measurements- The rover has been assessing Mars' radiation environment, and, according to its measurements, Martian radiation levels are comparable to those experienced by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 
• Evidence of water- According to mission scientists, seven weeks after Curiosity landed, it discovered an ancient steam bed that was once flowing with water, about knee-deep, for thousands of years at a time. 
• A habitable environment- After drilling into a Martian rock, Curiosity found ingredients for life in the rock's gray powder, including sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, carbon, and clay minerals, suggesting that an aquatic-type environment, perhaps a lake, was once nearby. In early March, the Curiosity team announced the rover's landing site could have supported microbial life billions of years ago.

For more information on Curiosity's mission, download the research paper below.