Curiosity ( rover ) - wikipedia Curiosity ( rover ) This article is about the Mars rover. For its spaceflight mission, see Mars Science Laboratory. For its events on Mars, see Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory. Curiosity Self - portrait of Curiosity located at the foothill of Mount Sharp ( October 6, 2015 ) Mission type Mars rover Operator NASA COSPAR ID 2011 - 070A SATCAT no. 37936 Website mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ Mission duration Primary : 668 sols ( 687 days ) Current : 1840 sols ( 1890 days ) since landing Spacecraft properties Manufacturer JPL Boeing Lockheed Martin Dry mass Rover only : 899 kg ( 1,982 lb ) Start of mission Launch date November 26, 2011, 15 : 02 : 00 ( 2011 - 11 - 26UTC15 : 02Z ) UTC Rocket Atlas V 541 ( AV - 028 ) Launch site Cape Canaveral LC - 41 Orbital parameters Reference system Heliocentric ( transfer ) Mars rover Spacecraft component Rover Landing date August 6, 2012, 05 : 17 : 57 UTC SCET MSD 49269 05 : 53 : 28 AMT Landing site Aeolis Palus ( `` Bradbury Landing '' ) in Gale Crater ( 4 ° 35 ′ 22 '' S 137 ° 26 ′ 30 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 4.5895 ° S 137.4417 ° E ﻿ / - 4.5895 ; 137.4417 ﻿ ( Bradbury Landing ) ) Distance covered 17.31 km ( 10.76 mi ) as of 29 August 2017 Mars rovers ( NASA ) ← Spirit / Opportunity Mars 2020 → Curiosity is a car - sized rover designed to explore Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA 's Mars Science Laboratory mission ( MSL ). Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011, at 15 : 02 UTC aboard the MSL spacecraft and landed on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05 : 17 UTC. The Bradbury 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. The rover 's goals include an investigation of the Martian climate and geology ; assessment of whether the selected field site inside Gale Crater has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including investigation of the role of water ; and planetary habitability studies in preparation for human exploration. In December 2012, Curiosity 's two - year mission was extended indefinitely. On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover landing and related exploratory accomplishments on the planet Mars. Curiosity 's design will serve as the basis for the planned Mars 2020 rover. As of October 9, 2017, Curiosity has been on Mars for 1840 sols ( 1890 total days ) since landing on August 6, 2012. ( See current status. ) Contents 1 Goals and objectives 2 Specifications 3 Instruments 3.1 Mast Camera ( MastCam ) 3.2 Chemistry and Camera complex ( ChemCam ) 3.3 Navigation cameras ( navcams ) 3.4 Rover Environmental Monitoring Station ( REMS ) 3.5 Hazard avoidance cameras ( hazcams ) 3.6 Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) 3.7 Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer ( APXS ) 3.8 Chemistry and Mineralogy ( CheMin ) 3.9 Sample Analysis at Mars ( SAM ) 3.10 Dust Removal Tool ( DRT ) 3.11 Radiation assessment detector ( RAD ) 3.12 Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons ( DAN ) 3.13 Mars Descent Imager ( MARDI ) 3.14 Robotic arm 4 Comparisons 5 The name : Curiosity 6 Landing 6.1 Landing site 6.2 Rover role in the landing system 7 Coverage, cultural impact and legacy 7.1 Awards 8 Images 8.1 Orbital images 8.2 Rover images 8.3 Self - portraits 8.4 Wide images 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Goals and objectives As established by the Mars Exploration Program, the main scientific goals of the MSL mission are to help determine whether Mars could ever have supported life, as well as determining the role of water, and to study the climate and geology of Mars. The mission will also help prepare for human exploration. To contribute to these goals, MSL has eight main scientific objectives : Biological Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds Investigate the chemical building blocks of life ( carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur ) Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes ( biosignatures and biomolecules ) Geological and geochemical Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near - surface geological materials Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils Planetary process Assess long - timescale ( i.e., 4 - billion - year ) Martian atmospheric evolution processes Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide Surface radiation Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic and cosmic radiation, solar proton events and secondary 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 future manned mission. 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 of organic compounds and biomolecules ; a branch of paleontology called taphonomy. Specifications Curiosity comprised 23 percent of the mass of the 3,893 kg ( 8,583 lb ) Mars Science Laboratory ( MSL ) spacecraft, which had the sole mission of delivering the rover safely across space from Earth to a soft landing on the surface of Mars. The remaining mass of the MSL craft was discarded in the process of carrying out this task. Dimensions : Curiosity has a mass of 899 kg ( 1,982 lb ) including 80 kg ( 180 lb ) of scientific instruments. The rover is 2.9 m ( 9.5 ft ) long by 2.7 m ( 8.9 ft ) wide by 2.2 m ( 7.2 ft ) in height. Radioisotope within a graphite shell that goes into the generator Power source : Curiosity is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator ( RTG ), like the successful Viking 1 and Viking 2 Mars landers in 1976. Radioisotope power systems ( RPSs ) are generators that produce electricity from the decay of radioactive isotopes, such as plutonium - 238, which is a non-fissile isotope of plutonium. Heat given off by the decay of this isotope is converted into electric voltage by thermocouples, providing constant power during all seasons and through the day and night. Waste heat can be used via pipes to warm systems, freeing electrical power for the operation of the vehicle and instruments. Curiosity 's RTG is fueled by 4.8 kg ( 11 lb ) of plutonium - 238 dioxide supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy. Masthead casts a shadow in this NavCam image on Sol 2 ( August 8, 2012 ) Curiosity is powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator ( MMRTG ), designed and built by Rocketdyne and Teledyne Energy Systems under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, and assembled and tested by the Idaho National Laboratory. Based on legacy RTG technology, it represents a more flexible and compact development step, and is designed to produce 125 watts of electrical power from about 2,000 watts of thermal power at the start of the mission. 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. The power source will generate 9 MJ ( 2.5 kWh ) each day, much more than the solar panels of the Mars Exploration Rovers, which can generate about 2.1 MJ ( 0.58 kWh ) each day. The electrical output from the MMRTG charges two rechargeable lithium - 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 42 ampere - hours. Heat rejection system : The temperatures at the landing site can vary from − 127 to 40 ° C ( − 197 to 104 ° F ) ; therefore, the thermal system will warm the rover for most of the Martian year. The thermal system will do 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 ). It uses fluid pumped through 60 m ( 200 ft ) of tubing in the rover body so that sensitive components are kept at optimal temperatures. 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. Computers : The two identical on - board rover computers, called Rover Computer Element ( RCE ) contain radiation hardened memory to tolerate the extreme radiation from space and to safeguard against power - off cycles. The computers run the VxWorks real - time operating system ( RTOS ). Each computer 's memory includes 256 kB of EEPROM, 256 MB of DRAM, and 2 GB of flash memory. For comparison, the Mars Exploration Rovers used 3 MB of EEPROM, 128 MB of DRAM, and 256 MB of flash memory. The RCE computers use the RAD750 CPU, which is a successor to the RAD6000 CPU of the Mars Exploration Rovers. The RAD750 CPU, a radiation - hardened version of the PowerPC 750, can execute up to 400 MIPS, while the RAD6000 CPU is capable of up to only 35 MIPS. Of the two on - board computers, one is configured as backup and will take over in the event of problems with the main computer. On February 28, 2013, NASA was forced to switch to the backup computer due to an issue with the then active computer 's flash memory, which resulted in the computer continuously rebooting in a loop. The backup computer was turned on in safe mode and subsequently returned to active status on March 4. The same issue happened in late March, resuming full operations on March 25, 2013. The rover has an Inertial Measurement Unit ( IMU ) that provides 3 - axis information on its position, which is used in rover navigation. The rover 's computers are constantly self - monitoring to keep the rover operational, such as by regulating the rover 's temperature. 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. 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. Curiosity transmits to Earth directly or via three relay satellites in Mars orbit. Communications : Curiosity is equipped with significant telecommunication redundancy by several means -- an X band transmitter and receiver that can communicate directly with Earth, and a UHF Electra - Lite software - defined radio for communicating with Mars orbiters. Communication with orbiters is expected to be 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. Telecommunication includes a small deep space transponder on the descent stage and a solid - state power amplifier on the rover for X band. The rover also has two UHF radios, the signals of which the 2001 Mars Odyssey satellite is capable of relaying back to Earth. An average of 14 minutes, 6 seconds will be required for signals to travel between Earth and Mars. Curiosity can communicate with Earth directly at speeds up to 32 kbit / s, but the bulk of the data transfer should be relayed through the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Odyssey orbiter. Data transfer speeds between Curiosity and each orbiter may reach 2000 kbit / s and 256 kbit / s, respectively, but each orbiter is able to communicate with Curiosity for only about eight minutes per day ( 0.56 % of the time ). Communication from and to Curiosity relies on internationally agreed space data communications protocols as defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems. 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. At landing, telemetry was monitored by three orbiters, depending on their dynamic location : the 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA 's Mars Express satellite. Mobility systems : Curiosity is equipped with six 50 cm ( 20 in ) diameter wheels in a rocker - bogie suspension. The suspension system also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors. 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. 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 is Morse code for `` JPL '' ( -- - -- - ). The rover is capable of climbing sand dunes with slopes up to 12.5 °. Based on the center of mass, the vehicle can withstand a tilt of at least 50 ° in any direction without overturning, but automatic sensors will limit the rover from exceeding 30 ° tilts. After two years of use, the wheels are visibly worn with punctures and tears. Curiosity can roll over obstacles approaching 65 cm ( 26 in ) in height, and it has a ground clearance of 60 cm ( 24 in ). 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. The rover landed about 10 km ( 6.2 mi ) from the base of Mount Sharp, ( officially named Aeolis Mons ) and it is expected to traverse a minimum of 19 km ( 12 mi ) during its primary two - year mission. It can travel up to 90 m ( 300 ft ) per hour but average speed is about 30 m ( 98 ft ) per hour. Instruments Instrument location diagram 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 will use its long arm to swing over a microscope and an X-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 the SAM or the CheMin analytical laboratories inside the rover. The MastCam, Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ), and Mars Descent Imager ( MARDI ) cameras were developed by Malin Space Science Systems and they all share common design components, such as on - board electronic imaging processing boxes, 1600 × 1200 CCDs, and an RGB Bayer pattern filter. It has 17 cameras : HazCams ( 8 ), NavCams ( 4 ), MastCams ( 2 ), MAHLI ( 1 ), MARDI ( 1 ), and ChemCam ( 1 ). Mast camera ( MastCam ) The turret at the end of the robotic arm holds five devices. The MastCam system provides multiple spectra and true - color imaging with two cameras. The cameras can take true - color images at 1600 × 1200 pixels and up to 10 frames per second hardware - compressed video at 720p ( 1280 × 720 ). One MastCam camera is the Medium Angle Camera ( MAC ), 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 ), 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 ). Malin also developed a pair of MastCams with zoom lenses, 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. However, the improved zoom version was selected to be incorporated on the upcoming Mars 2020 mission as Mastcam - Z. Each camera has eight gigabytes of flash memory, which is capable of storing over 5,500 raw images, and can apply real time lossless data compression. The cameras have an autofocus capability that allows them to focus on objects from 2.1 m ( 6 ft 11 in ) to infinity. In addition to the fixed RGBG 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 such infrared observations. Chemistry and camera complex ( ChemCam ) Main article : Chemistry and Camera complex The internal spectrometer ( left ) and the laser telescope ( right ) for the mast ChemCam is a suite of remote sensing instruments, and as the name implies, ChemCam is actually two different instruments combined as one : a laser - induced breakdown spectroscopy ( LIBS ) and a Remote Micro Imager ( RMI ) telescope. The ChemCam instrument suite was developed by the French CESR laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The flight model of the mast unit was delivered from the French CNES to Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose of the LIBS instrument is to provide elemental compositions of rock and soil, while the RMI will give ChemCam scientists high - resolution images of the sampling areas of the rocks and soil that LIBS targets. The LIBS instrument can target a rock or soil sample up to 7 m ( 23 ft ) away, vaporizing a small amount of it with about 50 to 75 5 - nanosecond pulses from a 1067 nm infrared laser and then observing the spectrum of the light emitted by the vaporized rock. First laser spectrum of chemical elements from ChemCam on Curiosity ( `` Coronation '' rock, August 19, 2012 ) ChemCam has the ability to record up to 6,144 different wavelengths of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Detection of the ball of luminous plasma will be done in the visible, near - UV and near - infrared ranges, between 240 nm and 800 nm. The first initial laser testing of the ChemCam by Curiosity on Mars was performed on a rock, N165 ( `` Coronation '' rock ), near Bradbury Landing on August 19, 2012. The ChemCam team expects to take approximately one dozen compositional measurements of rocks per day. 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. Navigation cameras ( NavCams ) First full - resolution navcam images Curiosity 's self - portrait shows the deck of the rover as viewed from the navcams Main article : Navcam The rover has two pairs of black and white navigation cameras mounted on the mast to support ground navigation. The cameras have a 45 ° angle of view and use visible light to capture stereoscopic 3 - D imagery. Rover environmental monitoring Station ( REMS ) Main article : Rover Environmental Monitoring Station REMS comprises instruments to measure the Mars environment : humidity, pressure, temperatures, wind speeds, and ultraviolet radiation. It is a meteorological package that includes an ultraviolet sensor provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. The investigative team is led by Javier Gómez - Elvira of the Center for Astrobiology ( Madrid ) and includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute as a partner. 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 will provide 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. Hazard avoidance cameras ( hazcams ) Main article : Hazcam The rover has four pairs of black and white navigation cameras called hazcams, two pairs in the front and two pairs in the back. They are used for autonomous hazard avoidance during rover drives and for safe positioning of the robotic arm on rocks and soils. 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 capture stereoscopic three - dimensional ( 3 - D ) imagery. 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. 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. Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) on Mars Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer ( APXS ) on Mars Curiosity 's instruments near Bradbury Landing ; Mount Sharp is in the background ( September 8, 2012 ). Main article : Mars Hand Lens Imager MAHLI is a camera on the rover 's robotic arm, and acquires microscopic images of rock and soil. MAHLI can take true - color images at 1600 × 1200 pixels with a resolution as high as 14.5 micrometers 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. MAHLI has both white and ultraviolet LED illumination for imaging in darkness or fluorescence imaging. MAHLI also has mechanical focusing in a range from infinite to millimetre distances. This system can make some images with focus stacking processing. 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 stairstep pattern for depth calibration. Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer ( APXS ) See also : Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer The device irradiates samples with alpha particles and maps the spectra of X-rays that are re-emitted for determining the elemental composition of samples. Curiosity 's APXS was developed by the Canadian Space Agency. MacDonald Dettwiler ( MDA ), the Canadian aerospace company that built the Canadarm and RADARSAT, were responsible for the engineering design and building of the APXS. The APXS science team includes members from the University of Guelph, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Western Ontario, NASA, the University of California, San Diego and Cornell University. The APXS instrument takes advantage of particle - induced X-ray emission ( PIXE ) and X-ray fluorescence, previously exploited by the Mars Pathfinder and the Mars Exploration Rovers. Chemistry and Mineralogy ( CheMin ) Curiosity 's CheMin Spectrometer on Mars ( September 11, 2012 ), with sample inlet seen closed and open. First X-ray diffraction view of Martian soil ( Curiosity at Rocknest, October 17, 2012 ). Main article : CheMin CheMin is the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray powder diffraction and fluorescence instrument. CheMin is one of four spectrometers. It can identify and quantify the abundance of the minerals on Mars. It was developed by David Blake at NASA Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and won the 2013 NASA Government Invention of the year award. 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. On October 17, 2012, at `` Rocknest '', the first X-ray diffraction analysis of Martian soil was performed. The results revealed the presence of several minerals, including feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine, and suggested that the Martian soil in the sample was similar to the `` weathered basaltic soils '' of Hawaiian volcanoes. The paragonetic tephra from a Hawaiian cinder cone has been mined to create Martian regolith simulant for researchers to use since 1998. Sample analysis at Mars ( SAM ) First night - time pictures on Mars ( white - light above / UV below ) ( Curiosity viewing Sayunei rock, January 22, 2013 ) Main article : Sample Analysis at Mars The SAM instrument suite analyzes organics and gases from both atmospheric and solid samples. It consists of instruments developed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Laboratoire Inter-Universitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques ( LISA ) ( jointly operated by France 's CNRS and Parisian universities ), and Honeybee Robotics, along with many additional external partners. The three main instruments are a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer ( QMS ), a gas chromatograph ( GC ) and a tunable laser spectrometer ( TLS ). These instruments will perform precision measurements of oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in carbon dioxide ( CO ) and methane ( CH ) in the atmosphere of Mars in order to distinguish between their geochemical or biological origin. Dust Removal Tool ( DRT ) First use of Curiosity 's Dust Removal Tool ( DRT ) ( January 6, 2013 ) ; Ekwir_1 rock before / after cleaning ( above ) and closeup ( below ) The Dust Removal Tool ( DRT ) is a motorized, wire - bristle brush on the turret at the end of Curiosity 's arm. The DRT was first used on a rock target named Ekwir_1 on January 6, 2013. Honeybee Robotics built the DRT. Radiation assessment detector ( RAD ) Main article : Radiation assessment detector This instrument was the first of ten MSL instruments to be turned on. Its first role was to characterize the broad spectrum of radiation environment found inside the spacecraft during the cruise phase. 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. Funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and Germany 's Space Agency ( DLR ), RAD was developed by Southwest Research Institute ( SwRI ) and the extraterrestrial physics group at Christian - Albrechts - Universität zu Kiel, Germany. Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons ( DAN ) Main article : Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons A pulsed sealed - tube neutron source and detector for measuring hydrogen or ice and water at or near the Martian surface, provided by the Russian Federal Space Agency, and funded by Russia. Mars descent Imager ( MARDI ) MARDI camera 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 four frames per second for about two minutes. MARDI has a pixel scale of 1.5 m ( 4.9 ft ) at 2 km ( 1.2 mi ) to 1.5 mm ( 0.059 in ) at 2 m ( 6.6 ft ) 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. JunoCam, built for the Juno spacecraft, is based on MARDI. Robotic arm First use of Curiosity 's scooper as it sifts a load of sand at Rocknest ( October 7, 2012 ) First drill tests ( John Klein rock, Yellowknife Bay, February 2, 2013 ). The rover has a 2.1 m ( 6.9 ft ) long robotic arm with a cross-shaped turret holding five devices that can spin through a 350 ° turning range. 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 ). It was designed, built, and tested by MDA US Systems, building upon their prior robotic arm work on the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, the Phoenix lander, and the two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Two of the five devices are in - situ or contact instruments known as the X-ray spectrometer ( APXS ), and the Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI camera ). The remaining three are associated with sample acquisition and sample preparation functions : a percussion drill ; a brush ; and mechanisms for scooping, sieving, and portioning samples of powdered rock and soil. 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. The drill carries two spare bits. 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 the SAM and CheMin analyzers inside the rover. Since early 2015 the percussive mechanism in the drill that helps chisel into rock has had an intermittent electrical short. In December 2016 the drill feed motor caused a malfunction that prevented the rover from moving its robotic arm and driving to another location. Internal debris is suspected of causing the fault. Comparisons Two Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers stand with three vehicles, providing a size comparison of three generations of Mars rovers. Front and center is the flight spare for the first Mars rover, Sojourner, which landed on Mars in 1997 as part of the Mars Pathfinder Project. On the left is a Mars Exploration Rover ( MER ) test vehicle that is a working sibling to Spirit and Opportunity, which landed on Mars in 2004. On the right is a test rover for the Mars Science Laboratory, which landed Curiosity on Mars in 2012. Sojourner is 65 cm ( 2.13 ft ) long. The Mars Exploration Rovers ( MER ) are 1.6 m ( 5.2 ft ) long. Curiosity on the right is 3 m ( 9.8 ft ) long. Curiosity has an advanced payload of scientific equipment on Mars. It is the fourth NASA unmanned surface rover sent to Mars since 1996. Previous successful Mars rovers are Sojourner from the Mars Pathfinder mission ( 1997 ), and Spirit ( 2004 -- 2010 ) and Opportunity ( 2004 -- present ) rovers from the Mars Exploration Rover mission. Curiosity is 2.9 m ( 9.5 ft ) long by 2.7 m ( 8.9 ft ) wide by 2.2 m ( 7.2 ft ) in height, larger than Mars Exploration Rovers, which are 1.5 m ( 4.9 ft ) long and have a mass of 174 kg ( 384 lb ) including 6.8 kg ( 15 lb ) of scientific instruments. In comparison to Pancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers, the MastCam - 34 has 1.25 × higher spatial resolution and the MastCam - 100 has 3.67 × higher spatial resolution. The region the rover is set to explore has been compared to the Four Corners region of the North American west. Gale Crater has an area similar to Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Colin Pillinger, leader of the Beagle 2 project, reacted emotionally to the large number of technicians monitoring Curiosity 's descent, because Beagle 2 had only four people monitoring it. The Beagle 2 team made a virtue out of necessity ; it was known that there was no chance of obtaining funds in Europe, at that time, of the scale previously considered necessary for a Mars rover, so the team used innovative methods to reduce the cost to less than 4 % of the cost of the Curiosity mission. They also had only one shot, with no funding for repeat missions ( it was named Beagle 2 as a successor to HMS Beagle, not to an earlier rover ). It was considered a large risk, and, although Beagle 2 did successfully survive its entry, descent, and landing, incomplete deployment of the solar panels hampered communication back to Earth. The team has proposed that a future launch might take multiple low - cost Beagle - type landers, with a realistic expectation that the vast majority would be successful, allowing exploration of several parts of Mars and possibly asteroids, all for considerably less cost than a single `` normal '' rover expedition. See also : Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers The name : Curiosity Clara Ma, winner of the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest A NASA panel selected the name Curiosity following a nationwide student contest that attracted more than 9,000 proposals via the Internet and mail. A sixth - grade student from Kansas, twelve - year - old Clara Ma from Sunflower Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas, submitted the winning entry. As her prize, Ma won a trip to NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) in Pasadena, California, where she signed her name directly onto the rover as it was being assembled. 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 would n'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. Landing Landing site Further information : Bradbury Landing Curiosity landed in Quad 51 ( nicknamed Yellowknife ) of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater. The landing site coordinates are : 4 ° 35 ′ 22 '' S 137 ° 26 ′ 30 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 4.5895 ° S 137.4417 ° E ﻿ / - 4.5895 ; 137.4417. The location has been named Bradbury Landing in honor of science fiction author Ray Bradbury. Gale crater, an estimated 3.5 to 3.8 billion - year - old impact crater, is hypothesized to have first been gradually filled in by sediments ; first water - deposited, and then wind - deposited, possibly until it was completely covered. Wind erosion then scoured out the sediments, leaving an isolated 5.5 - kilometer - high ( 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 an alluvial 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. According to NASA, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 heat - resistant bacterial spores were on Curiosity at launch, and as much as 1,000 times that number may not have been counted. Curiosity and surrounding area as viewed by MRO / HiRISE. North is left. ( August 14, 2012 ; enhanced colors ) Rover role in the landing system Main article : Mars Science Laboratory -- Landing Play media NASA video describing the landing procedure. NASA dubbed the landing as `` Seven Minutes of Terror ''. Previous NASA Mars 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. 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. After the rover touched down it waited 2 seconds to confirm that it was on solid ground then fired several pyros ( small explosive devices ) 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. Coverage, cultural impact and legacy Celebration erupts at NASA with the rover 's successful landing on Mars ( August 6, 2012 ). President Barack Obama congratulates NASA 's Curiosity team ( August 13, 2012 ). Live video showing the first footage from the surface of Mars was available at NASA 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, and a 13 - minute NASA excerpt of the landings on its YouTube channel was halted an hour after the landing by an automated DMCA takedown notice from Scripps Local News, which prevented access for several hours. Around 1,000 people gathered in New York City 's Times Square, to watch NASA 's live broadcast of Curiosity 's landing, as footage was being shown on the giant screen. Bobak Ferdowsi, Flight Director for the landing, became an Internet meme and attained Twitter celebrity status, with 45,000 new followers subscribing to his Twitter account, due to his Mohawk hairstyle with yellow stars that he wore during the televised broadcast. On August 13, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama, calling from aboard Air Force One to congratulate the Curiosity team, said, `` You guys are examples of American know - how and ingenuity. It 's really an amazing accomplishment. '' ( Video ( 07 : 20 ) ) U.S. flag on Mars Plaque of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden 's signatures on Mars Scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, California, viewed the CheMin instrument aboard Curiosity 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 of X-rays at particles as small as 400 micrometres ( 0.016 in ) and reads the radiation scattered back to determine the composition of the artifact in minutes. Engineers created a smaller, portable version named the X-Duetto. Fitting into a few briefcase - 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 museum antiques and the Roman ruins of Herculaneum, Italy. Prior to the landing, NASA and Microsoft released Mars Rover Landing, a free downloadable game on Xbox Live that uses Kinect to capture body motions, which allows users to simulate the landing sequence. 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 into silicon using an electron - beam machine used for fabricating micro devices at JPL, and this plaque is now installed on the deck of Curiosity. In keeping with a 40 - year tradition, a plaque with the signatures of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden was also installed. Elsewhere on the rover is the autograph of Clara Ma, the 12 - year - old girl from Kansas who gave Curiosity its name in an essay contest, writing in part that `` curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. '' 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. On June 24, 2014, Curiosity completed a Martian year -- 687 Earth days -- after finding that Mars once had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. Curiosity will serve as the basis for the design of the Mars 2020 rover mission that is presently planned to be launched to Mars in 2020. Some spare parts from the build and ground test of Curiosity may be used in the new vehicle. On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover mission landing, and related exploratory accomplishments, on the planet Mars. ( Videos : Curiosity 's First Five Years ( 02 : 07 ) ; Curiosity 's POV : Five Years Driving ( 05 : 49 ) ; Curiosity 's Discoveries About Gale Crater ( 02 : 54 ) ) Further information : Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory § Current status Awards The NASA / JPL Mars Science Laboratory / Curiosity Project Team was awarded the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association `` In recognition of the extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation 's technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity 's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments. '' Images Landing on Mars Play media Descent of Curiosity ( video - 02 : 26 ; August 6, 2012 ) Components of Curiosity Mast head with ChemCam, MastCam - 34, MastCam - 100, NavCam. Rover wheels are 50 cm ( 20 in ) in diameter. Orbital images Curiosity descending under its parachute ( August 6, 2012 ; MRO / HiRISE ). Curiosity 's parachute flapping in Martian wind ( August 12, 2012 to January 13, 2013 ; MRO ). Gale crater - surface materials ( false colors ; THEMIS ; 2001 Mars Odyssey ). Curiosity 's landing site is on Aeolis Palus near Mount Sharp ( north is down ). Mount Sharp rises from the middle of Gale Crater ; the green dot marks Curiosity 's landing site ( north is down ). Green dot is Curiosity 's landing site ; upper blue is Glenelg ; lower blue is base of Mount Sharp. Curiosity 's landing ellipse. Quad 51, called Yellowknife, marks the area where Curiosity actually landed. Quad 51, a 1 - mile - by - 1 - mile section of Gale Crater - Curiosity landing site is noted. MSL debris field - parachute landed 615 m from Curiosity ( 3 - D : rover & parachute ) ( August 17, 2012 ; MRO ). Curiosity 's landing site, Bradbury Landing, as seen by MRO / HiRISE ( August 14, 2012 ) Curiosity 's first tracks viewed by MRO / HiRISE ( September 6, 2012 ) First - year & first - mile map of Curiosity 's traverse on Mars ( August 1, 2013 ) ( 3 - D ). Rover images Ejected heat shield as viewed by Curiosity descending to Martian surface ( August 6, 2012 ). Curiosity 's first image after landing ( August 6, 2012 ). The rover 's wheel can be seen. Curiosity 's first image after landing ( without clear dust cover, August 6, 2012 ) Curiosity landed on August 6, 2012 near the base of Aeolis Mons ( or `` Mount Sharp '' ) Curiosity 's first color image of the Martian landscape, taken by MAHLI ( August 6, 2012 ) Curiosity 's self - portrait - with closed dust cover ( September 7, 2012 ). Curiosity 's self - portrait ( September 7, 2012 ; color - corrected ). Calibration target of MAHLI ( September 9, 2012 ; alternate 3 - D version ) U.S. Lincoln penny on Mars ( Curiosity ; September 10, 2012 ; 3 - D ; October 2, 2013 ). Wheels on Curiosity. Mount Sharp is visible in the background ( MAHLI, September 9, 2012 ). Curiosity 's tracks on first test drive ( August 22, 2012 ), after parking 6 m ( 20 ft ) from original landing site Comparison of color versions ( raw, natural, white balance ) of Aeolis Mons on Mars ( August 23, 2012 ) Curiosity 's view of Aeolis Mons ( August 9, 2012 ; white - balanced image ) Layers at the base of Aeolis Mons. The dark rock in inset is the same size as Curiosity. Self - portraits Curiosity rover on Mars -- self - portraits Curiosity at `` Rocknest '' on Aeolis Palus ( October 2012 ) Curiosity at `` John Klein '' on Aeolis Palus ( May 2013 ) Curiosity at `` Windjana '' on Aeolis Palus ( May 2014 ) Curiosity at `` Mojave '' on Aeolis Mons ( January 2015 ) Curiosity at `` Buckskin '' on Aeolis Mons ( August 2015 ) Curiosity at `` Big Sky '' on Aeolis Mons ( October 2015 ) Curiosity at `` Namib '' on Aeolis Mons ( January 2016 ) Curiosity at `` MurrayB '' on Aeolis Mons ( September 2016 ) Wide images Curiosity 's first 360 ° color panorama image ( August 8, 2012 ) Curiosity 's view of Mount Sharp ( September 20, 2012 ; raw color version ) Curiosity 's view of the Rocknest area. South is at center, north is at both ends. Mount Sharp dominates the horizon, while Glenelg is left - of - center and rover tracks are right - of - center ( November 16, 2012 ; white balanced ; raw color version ; high - res panoramic ). Curiosity 's view from Rocknest looking east toward Point Lake ( center ) on the way to Glenelg ( November 26, 2012 ; white balanced ; raw color version ) Curiosity 's view of `` Mount Sharp '' ( September 9, 2015 ) Curiosity 's view of Mars sky at sunset ( February 2013 ; Sun simulated by artist ) See also Spaceflight portal Book : Mars Science Laboratory Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory Adam Steltzner Anita Sengupta Astrobiology Autonomous robot ExoMars rover Experience Curiosity Exploration of Mars InSight lander Life on Mars List of missions to Mars Mars Express Mars Odyssey orbiter Mars Orbiter Mission Mars Pathfinder ( Sojourner rover ) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars 2020 rover Opportunity rover Spirit rover Viking program References Jump up ^ Wall, Mike ( August 6, 2012 ). `` Touchdown ! Huge NASA Rover Lands on Mars ''. Space.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Rover Fast Facts ''. NASA. ^ Jump up to : Nelson, Jon. `` Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover ''. NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Curiosity : NASA 's Next Mars Rover ''. NASA. August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Beutel, Allard ( November 19, 2011 ). `` NASA 's Mars Science Laboratory Launch Rescheduled for Nov. 26 ''. NASA. Retrieved November 21, 2011. Jump up ^ Martin, Paul K. ( June 8, 2011 ). `` NASA 'S MANAGEMENT OF THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY PROJECT ( IG - 11 - 019 ) '' ( PDF ). NASA Office of Inspector General. Retrieved August 6, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Abilleira, Fernando ( 2013 ). 2011 Mars Science Laboratory Trajectory Reconstruction and Performance from Launch Through Landing. 23rd AAS / AIAA Spaceflight Mechanics Meeting. February 10 - 14, 2013. Kauai, Hawaii. ^ Jump up to : Amos, Jonathan ( August 8, 2012 ). `` Nasa 's Curiosity rover lifts its navigation cameras ''. BBC News. Retrieved June 23, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Brown, Dwayne ; Cole, Steve ; Webster, Guy ; Agle, D.C. ( August 22, 2012 ). `` NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing ''. NASA. Retrieved August 22, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Video from rover looks down on Mars during landing ''. MSNBC. August 6, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Young, Monica ( August 7, 2012 ). `` Watch Curiosity Descend onto Mars ''. SkyandTelescope.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Where is Curiosity ? ''. NASA. Retrieved August 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` MSL Sol 3 Update ''. NASA Television. August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Impressive ' Curiosity landing only 1.5 miles off, NASA says ''. CNN. Retrieved August 10, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Overview ''. JPL, NASA. Retrieved August 16, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory : Mission Science Goals ''. NASA.gov. August 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Curiosity 's mission extended indefinitely ''. 3 News NZ. December 6, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Webster, Guy ; Cantillo, Laurie ; Brown, Dwayne ( August 2, 2017 ). `` Five Years Ago and 154 Million Miles Away : Touchdown ! ''. NASA. Retrieved August 8, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Wall, Mike ( August 5, 2017 ). `` After 5 Years on Mars, NASA 's Curiosity Rover Is Still Making Big Discoveries ''. Space.com. Retrieved August 8, 2017. Jump up ^ `` MSL Objectives ''. NASA. Jump up ^ Phillips, Tony ( February 24, 2012 ). `` Curiosity, The Stunt Double ''. NASA.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2014. Jump up ^ Grotzinger, John P. ( January 24, 2014 ). `` Habitability, Taphonomy, and the Search for Organic Carbon on Mars ''. Science. 343 ( 6169 ) : 386 -- 387. Bibcode : 2014Sci... 343... 386G. PMID 24458635. doi : 10.1126 / science. 1249944. ^ Jump up to : Watson, Traci ( April 14, 2008 ). `` Troubles parallel ambitions in NASA Mars project ''. USA Today. Retrieved May 27, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL at a glance - CNES ''. Cnes.fr. Retrieved August 7, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator '' ( PDF ). NASA / JPL. January 1, 2008. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Exploration : Radioisotope Power and Heating for Mars Surface Exploration '' ( PDF ). NASA / JPL. April 18, 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2009. Jump up ^ Clark, Stephen ( November 17, 2011 ). `` Nuclear power generator hooked up to Mars rover ''. Spaceflight Now. Retrieved November 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Ritz, Fred ; Peterson, Craig E. ( 2004 ). Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator ( MMRTG ) Program Overview ( PDF ). 2004 IEEE Aerospace Conference. March 6 -- 13, 2004. Big Sky, Montana. doi : 10.1109 / AERO. 2004.1368101. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on December 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Cataldo, Robert L. ; Bennett, Gary L. ( October 21, 2011 ). `` U.S. Space Radioisotope Power Systems and Applications : Past, Present and Future '' ( PDF ). In Singh, Nirmal. Radioisotopes : Applications in Physical Sciences. InTech. ISBN 978 - 953 - 307 - 510 - 5. doi : 10.5772 / 23914. Jump up ^ Campbell, Joseph ( 2011 ). `` Fueling the Mars Science Laboratory '' ( PDF ). Idaho National Laboratory. Jump up ^ `` Technologies of Broad Benefit : Power ''. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Mars Science Laboratory -- Technologies of Broad Benefit : Power ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved April 23, 2011. Jump up ^ Misra, Ajay K. ( June 26, 2006 ). `` Overview of NASA Program on Development of Radioisotope Power Systems with High Specific Power '' ( PDF ). NASA / JPL. Retrieved May 12, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Makovsky, Andre ; Ilott, Peter ; Taylor, Jim ( November 2009 ). Mars Science Laboratory Telecommunications System Design ( PDF ). DESCANSO Design and Performance Summary Series. 14. NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ^ Jump up to : Watanabe, Susan ( August 9, 2009 ). `` Keeping it Cool (... or Warm ! ) ''. NASA / JPL. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory : Mission : Rover : Brains ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved March 27, 2009. Jump up ^ Bajracharya, Max ; Maimone, Mark W. ; Helmick, Daniel ( December 2008 ). `` Autonomy for Mars rovers : past, present, and future ''. Computer. 41 ( 12 ) : 45. ISSN 0018 - 9162. doi : 10.1109 / MC. 2008.515. Jump up ^ `` BAE Systems Computers to Manage Data Processing and Command For Upcoming Satellite Missions '' ( Press release ). BAE Systems. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008. Jump up ^ `` E&ISNow -- Media gets closer look at Manassas '' ( PDF ). BAE Systems. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on December 17, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008. Jump up ^ `` RAD750 radiation - hardened PowerPC microprocessor '' ( PDF ). BAE Systems. July 1, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2009. Jump up ^ `` RAD6000 Space Computers '' ( PDF ). BAE Systems. June 23, 2008. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on October 4, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009. Jump up ^ Webster, Guy ( March 4, 2013 ). `` Curiosity Rover 's Recovery on Track ''. NASA. Retrieved March 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Webster, Guy ( March 25, 2013 ). `` Curiosity Resumes Science Investigations ''. NASA. Retrieved March 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Mars - Earth distance in light minutes ''. WolframAlpha. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Curiosity 's data communication with Earth ''. NASA. Retrieved August 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` NASA 's Curiosity Rover Maximizes Data Sent to Earth by Using International Space Data Communication Standards ''. Jump up ^ `` ESA spacecraft records crucial NASA signals from Mars ''. Mars Daily. August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Next Mars Rover Sports a Set of New Wheels ''. NASA / JPL. Jump up ^ `` Watch NASA 's Next Mars Rover Being Built Via Live ' Curiosity Cam ' ''. NASA. September 13, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2012. Jump up ^ `` New Mars Rover to Feature Morse Code ''. National Association for Amateur Radio. Jump up ^ Marlow, Jeffrey ( August 29, 2012 ). `` Looking Toward the Open Road ''. JPL - Martian Diaries. NASA. Retrieved August 30, 2012. Jump up ^ Lakdawalla, Emily ( August 19, 2014 ). `` Curiosity wheel damage : The problem and solutions ''. The Planetary Society Blogs. The Planetary Society. Retrieved August 22, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory - Facts '' ( PDF ). Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. March 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012. Jump up ^ `` First drive ''. Jump up ^ Gorman, Steve ( August 8, 2011 ). `` Curiosity beams Mars images back ''. Stuff - Science. Retrieved August 8, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory ''. NASA. Jump up ^ Amos, Jonathan ( August 3, 2012 ). `` Gale Crater : Geological ' sweet shop ' awaits Mars rover ''. BBC News. Retrieved August 6, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL Science Corner : Sample Analysis at Mars ( SAM ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved September 9, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Overview of the SAM instrument suite ''. NASA. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Jump up ^ Malin, M.C. ; Bell, J.F. ; Cameron, J. ; Dietrich, W.E. ; Edgett, K.S. ; et al. ( 2005 ). The Mast Cameras and Mars Descent Imager ( MARDI ) for the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory ( PDF ). Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI. p. 1214. Bibcode : 2005LPI... 36.1214 M. ^ Jump up to : `` Mast Camera ( MastCam ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved March 18, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved March 23, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Descent Imager ( MARDI ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved April 3, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory ( MSL ) : Mast Camera ( MastCam ) : Instrument Description ''. Malin Space Science Systems. Retrieved April 19, 2009. Jump up ^ Stern, Alan ; Green, Jim ( November 8, 2007 ). `` Mars Science Laboratory Instrumentation Announcement from Alan Stern and Jim Green, NASA Headquarters ''. SpaceRef.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Mann, Adam ( August 7, 2012 ). `` The Photo - Geek 's Guide to Curiosity Rover 's 17 Cameras ''. Wired. Retrieved January 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Klinger, Dave ( August 7, 2012 ). `` Curiosity says good morning from Mars ( and has busy days ahead ) ''. Ars Technica. Retrieved January 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mars Science Laboratory ( MSL ) Mast Camera ( MastCam ) ''. Malin Space Science Systems. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ David, Leonard ( March 28, 2011 ). `` NASA Nixes 3 - D Camera for Next Mars Rover ''. Space.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Bell III, J.F. ; Maki, J.N. ; Mehall, G.L. ; Ravine, M.A. ; Caplinger, M.A. ( 2014 ). Mastcam - Z : A Geologic, Stereoscopic, and Multispectral Investigation on the NASA Mars - 2020 Rover ( PDF ). International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions. November 4 -- 7, 2014. Greenbelt, Maryland. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL Science Corner : Chemistry & Camera ( ChemCam ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved September 9, 2009. Jump up ^ Salle, B. ; Lacour, J.L. ; Mauchien, P. ; Fichet, P. ; Maurice, S. ; et al. ( 2006 ). `` Comparative study of different methodologies for quantitative rock analysis by Laser - Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in a simulated Martian atmosphere '' ( PDF ). Spectrochimica Acta Part B - Atomic Spectroscopy. 61 ( 3 ) : 301 -- 313. Bibcode : 2006AcSpe... 61... 301S. doi : 10.1016 / j. sab. 2006.02. 003. Jump up ^ Wiens, R.C. ; Maurice, S. ; Engel, A ; Fabry, V.J. ; Hutchins, D.A. ; et al. ( 2008 ). `` Corrections and Clarifications, News of the Week ''. Science. 322 ( 5907 ) : 1466. doi : 10.1126 / science. 322.5907. 1466a. Jump up ^ `` ChemCam Status ''. Los Alamos National Laboratory. April 2008. Jump up ^ `` Spacecraft : Surface Operations Configuration : Science Instruments : ChemCam ''. Archived from the original on October 2, 2006. Jump up ^ Vieru, Tudor ( December 6, 2013 ). `` Curiosity 's Laser Reaches 100,000 Firings on Mars ''. Softpedia. Retrieved January 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Rover 's Laser Instrument Zaps First Martian Rock. ''. 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012. Jump up ^ Webster, Guy ; Agle, D.C. ( August 19, 2012 ). `` Mars Science Laboratory / Curiosity Mission Status Report ''. NASA. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Coronation ' Rock on Mars ''. NASA. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ Amos, Jonathan ( August 17, 2012 ). `` Nasa 's Curiosity rover prepares to zap Martian rocks ''. BBC News. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ `` How Does ChemCam Work ? ''. ChemCam Team. 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory Rover in the JPL Mars Yard ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved May 10, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory : Mission : Rover : Eyes and Other Senses : Two Engineering NavCams ( Navigation Cameras ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved April 4, 2009. Jump up ^ `` First NavCam mosaic ''. Jump up ^ `` Rover Environmental Monitoring Station for MSL mission '' ( PDF ). 4th International workshop on the Mars Atmosphere : modelling and observations. Pierre und Marie Curie University. February 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL Science Corner : Rover Environmental Monitoring Station ( REMS ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved September 9, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Mars Science Laboratory Fact Sheet '' ( PDF ). NASA / JPL. Retrieved June 20, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Mars Science Laboratory : Mission : Rover : Eyes and Other Senses : Four Engineering Hazcams ( Hazard Avoidance Cameras ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved April 4, 2009. Jump up ^ Edgett, Kenneth S. `` Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) ''. NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` 3D View of MAHLI Calibration Target ''. NASA. September 13, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL Science Corner : Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer ( APXS ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved September 9, 2009. Jump up ^ `` 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference '' ( PDF ). 2009. `` 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference '' ( PDF ). 2010. Jump up ^ Rieder, R. ; Gellert, R. ; Brückner, J. ; Klingelhöfer, G. ; Dreibus, G. ; et al. ( 2003 ). `` The new Athena alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for the Mars Exploration Rovers ''. Journal of Geophysical Research. 108 : 8066. Bibcode : 2003JGRE... 108.8066 R. doi : 10.1029 / 2003JE002150. ^ Jump up to : Brown, Dwayne ( October 30, 2012 ). `` NASA Rover 's First Soil Studies Help Fingerprint Martian Minerals ''. NASA. Retrieved October 31, 2012. Jump up ^ `` MSL Chemistry & Mineralogy X-ray diffraction ( CheMin ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved November 25, 2011. Jump up ^ Sarrazin, P. ; Blake, D. ; Feldman, S. ; Chipera, S. ; Vaniman, D. ; et al. ( 2005 ). `` Field deployment of a portable X-ray diffraction / X-ray fluorescence instrument on Mars analog terrain ''. Powder Diffraction. 20 ( 2 ) : 128 -- 133. Bibcode : 2005PDiff... 20... 128S. doi : 10.1154 / 1.1913719. Jump up ^ Hoover, Rachel ( June 24, 2014 ). `` Ames Instrument Helps Identify the First Habitable Environment on Mars, Wins Invention Award ''. NASA. Retrieved June 25, 2014. Jump up ^ Anderson, Robert C. ; Baker, Charles J. ; Barry, Robert ; Blake, David F. ; Conrad, Pamela ; et al. ( December 14, 2010 ). `` Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientists Program Proposal Information Package '' ( PDF ). NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved January 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Beegle, L.W. ; Peters, G.H. ; Mungas, G.S. ; Bearman, G.H. ; Smith, J.A. ; et al. ( 2007 ). Mojave Martian Simulant : A New Martian Soil Simulant ( PDF ). Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII. Retrieved April 28, 2014. Jump up ^ Allen, C.C. ; Morris, R.V. ; Lindstrom, D.J. ; Lindstrom, M.M. ; Lockwood, J.P. ( March 1997 ). JSC Mars - 1 : Martian regolith simulant ( PDF ). Lunar and Planetary Exploration XXVIII. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on September 10, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014. Jump up ^ Cabane, M. ; Coll, P. ; Szopa, C. ; Israël, G. ; Raulin, F. ; et al. ( 2004 ). `` Did life exist on Mars ? Search for organic and inorganic signatures, one of the goals for `` SAM '' ( sample analysis at Mars ) '' ( PDF ). Advances in Space Research. 33 ( 12 ) : 2240 -- 2245. Bibcode : 2004AdSpR... 33.2240 C. doi : 10.1016 / S0273 - 1177 ( 03 ) 00523 - 4. ^ Jump up to : `` Sample Analysis at Mars ( SAM ) Instrument Suite ''. NASA. October 2008. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2009. Jump up ^ Tenenbaum, D. ( June 9, 2008 ). `` Making Sense of Mars Methane ''. Astrobiology Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2008. Jump up ^ Tarsitano, C.G. ; Webster, C.R. ( 2007 ). `` Multilaser Herriott cell for planetary tunable laser spectrometers ''. Applied Optics. 46 ( 28 ) : 6923 -- 6935. Bibcode : 2007ApOpt... 46.6923 T. PMID 17906720. doi : 10.1364 / AO. 46.006923. Jump up ^ Mahaffy, Paul R. ; Webster, Christopher R. ; Cabane, Michel ; Conrad, Pamela G. ; Coll, Patrice ; et al. ( 2012 ). `` The Sample Analysis at Mars Investigation and Instrument Suite ''. Space Science Reviews. 170 : 401 -- 478. Bibcode : 2012SSRv... tmp... 23M. doi : 10.1007 / s11214 - 012 - 9879 - z. Jump up ^ Moskowitz, Clara ( January 7, 2013 ). `` NASA 's Curiosity Rover Brushes Mars Rock Clean, a First ''. Space.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` SwRI Radiation Assessment Detector ( RAD ) Homepage ''. Southwest Research Institute. Retrieved January 19, 2011. Jump up ^ `` RAD ''. NASA. Jump up ^ `` Laboratory for Space Gamma Spectroscopy - DAN ''. Laboratory for Space Gamma Spectroscopy. Retrieved September 20, 2012. Jump up ^ `` MSL Science Corner : Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons ( DAN ) ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved September 9, 2009. Jump up ^ Litvak, M.L. ; Mitrofanov, I.G. ; Barmakov, Yu. N. ; Behar, A. ; Bitulev, A. ; et al. ( 2008 ). `` The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons ( DAN ) Experiment for NASA 's 2009 Mars Science Laboratory ''. Astrobiology. 8 ( 3 ) : 605 -- 12. Bibcode : 2008AsBio... 8... 605L. PMID 18598140. doi : 10.1089 / ast. 2007.0157. Jump up ^ `` Mars Science Laboratory : Mission ''. NASA JPL. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Mars Descent Imager ( MARDI ) Update ''. Malin Space Science Systems. November 12, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Junocam, Juno Jupiter Orbiter ''. Malin Space Science Systems. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Anderson, Paul Scott ( February 3, 2013 ). `` Curiosity ' hammers ' a rock and completes first drilling tests ''. themeridianijournal.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Curiosity Rover - Arm and Hand ''. JPL. NASA. Retrieved August 21, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Jandura, Louise. `` Mars Science Laboratory Sample Acquisition, Sample Processing and Handling : Subsystem Design and Test Challenges '' ( PDF ). JPL. NASA. Retrieved August 21, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Curiosity Stretches its Arm ''. JPL. NASA. August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Billing, Rius ; Fleischner, Richard. `` Mars Science Laboratory Robotic Arm '' ( PDF ). MDA US Systems. Retrieved January 22, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` MSL Participating Scientists Program - Proposal Information Package '' ( PDF ). Washington University. December 14, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Billing, Rius ; Fleischner, Richard ( 2011 ). `` Mars Science Laboratory Robotic Arm '' ( PDF ). 15th European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Clark, Stephen ( December 29, 2016 ). `` Internal debris may be causing problem with Mars rover 's drill ''. Spaceflight Now. Retrieved January 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` NASA Is Trying to Get Mars Rover Curiosity 's Arm Unstuck ''. Popular Mechanics. Associated Press. December 13, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017. Jump up ^ Mars Rovers : Pathfinder, MER ( Spirit and Opportunity ), and MSL ( video ). Pasadena, California. April 12, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Mars Exploration Rover Launches '' ( PDF ). NASA. June 2003. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on July 26, 2004. Jump up ^ `` PIA16068 ''. NASA. Jump up ^ `` PIA15987 ''. NASA. ^ Jump up to : `` Watching Curiosity on Mars makes me feel like athlete who did n't win a medal ''. The Sun. August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Clark, Stuart ( January 17, 2015 ). `` Beagle 2 spacecraft found intact on surface of Mars after 11 years ''. The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2015. Jump up ^ Gibson, E.K. ; Pillinger, C.T. ; Wright, I.P. ; Hurst, S.J. ; Richter, L. ; et al. ( 2012 ). `` How do you answer the life on Mars question ? Use multiple small landers like Beagle 2 '' ( PDF ). Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration. ^ Jump up to : Brown, Dwayne C. ; Buis, Alan ; Martinez, Carolina ( May 27, 2009 ). `` NASA Selects Student 's Entry as New Mars Rover Name ''. NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved January 2, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Jump up ^ `` Curiosity 's Quad - IMAGE ''. NASA. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Agle, DC ; Webster, Guy ; Brown, Dwayne ( August 9, 2012 ). `` NASA 's Curiosity Beams Back a Color 360 of Gale Crate ''. NASA. Retrieved August 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Amos, Jonathan ( August 9, 2012 ). `` Mars rover makes first colour panorama ''. BBC News. Retrieved August 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Halvorson, Todd ( August 9, 2012 ). `` Quad 51 : Name of Mars base evokes rich parallels on Earth ''. USA Today. Retrieved August 12, 2012. Jump up ^ Hand, Eric ( August 3, 2012 ). `` Crater mound a prize and puzzle for Mars rover ''. Nature. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Gale Crater 's History Book ''. Mars Odyssey THEMIS. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Chang, Kenneth ( October 5, 2015 ). `` Mars Is Pretty Clean. Her Job at NASA Is to Keep It That Way. ''. The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Why NASA 's Mars Curiosity Rover landing will be `` Seven Minutes of Absolute Terror '' ``. NASA. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales ( CNES ). June 28, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Final Minutes of Curiosity 's Arrival at Mars ''. NASA / JPL. Retrieved April 8, 2011. Jump up ^ Teitel, Amy Shira ( November 28, 2011 ). `` Sky Crane -- how to land Curiosity on the surface of Mars ''. Scientific American. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Snider, Mike ( July 17, 2012 ). `` Mars rover lands on Xbox Live ''. USA Today. Retrieved July 27, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Mars Science Laboratory : Entry, Descent, and Landing System Performance '' ( PDF ). NASA. March 2006. p. 7. Jump up ^ Amos, Jonathan ( June 12, 2012 ). `` NASA 's Curiosity rover targets smaller landing zone ''. BBC News. Retrieved June 12, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Chang, Kenneth ( August 13, 2012 ). `` Mars Looks Quite Familiar, if Only on the Surface ''. New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Curiosity Lands on Mars ''. NASA TV. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` NASA 's Mars Rover Crashed Into a DMCA Takedown ''. Motherboard. Motherboard.vice.com. August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Huge Crowds Watched NASA Rover Land on Mars from NYC 's Times Square ''. Space.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Mars Rover ' Mohawk Guy ' a Space Age Internet Sensation Curiosity Rover ''. Space.com. August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Mars landing proves memes now travel faster than the speed of light ( gallery ) ''. VentureBeat. June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Boyer, Brad ( March 10, 2011 ). `` inXitu co-founder wins NASA Invention of the Year Award for 2010 '' ( PDF ) ( Press release ). InXitu. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Martian rover tech has an eye for priceless works of art ''. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012. Jump up ^ Thomen, Daryl ( August 6, 2012 ). `` ' Mars Rover Landing ' with Kinect for the Xbox 360 ''. Newsday. Retrieved August 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Send Your Name to Mars ''. NASA. 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` NASA 's Curiosity rover flying to Mars with Obama 's, others ' autographs on board ''. Retrieved August 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Dewey, Caitlin ( August 6, 2013 ). `` Lonely Curiosity rover sings ' Happy Birthday ' to itself on Mars ''. Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2013. Jump up ^ Webster, Guy ; Brown, Dwayne ( June 23, 2014 ). `` NASA 's Mars Curiosity Rover Marks First Martian Year ''. NASA. Retrieved June 23, 2014. Jump up ^ Harwood, William ( December 4, 2012 ). `` NASA announces plans for new $1.5 billion Mars rover ''. CNET. Retrieved December 5, 2012. Using spare parts and mission plans developed for NASA 's Curiosity Mars rover, the space agency says it can build and launch a new rover in 2020 and stay within current budget guidelines. Jump up ^ Bosco, Cassandro ( March 12, 2013 ). `` NASA / JPL Mars Curiosity Project Team Receive 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy '' ( PDF ). National Aeronautic Association. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Williams, John ( August 15, 2012 ). `` A 360 - degree ' street view ' from Mars ''. PhysOrg. Retrieved August 16, 2012. Jump up ^ Bodrov, Andrew ( September 14, 2012 ). `` Mars Panorama - Curiosity rover : Martian solar day 2 ''. 360Cities. Retrieved September 14, 2012. External links Look up Curiosity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curiosity rover. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Photos by the Curiosity rover. Curiosity Rover - Home Page - NASA / JPL MSL - NASA Updates - * LIVE * TBA Schedule ( NASA - TV ) ( NASA - Audio ) The search for life on Mars & elsewhere in the Solar System : Curiosity update - Video lecture by Christopher P. McKay MSL - NASA Updates - * REPLAY * Anytime ( NASA - YouTube ) ( NASA - Ustream ) MSL - Curiosity Design and Mars Landing - PBS Nova ( 2012 - 11 - 14 ) - Video ( 53 : 06 ) MSL - `` Curiosity ' StreetView ' '' ( Sol 2 - 2012 - 08 - 08 ) - NASA / JPL - 360 ° Panorama MSL - `` Curiosity Lands '' ( 2012 - 08 - 06 ) - NASA / JPL - Video ( 03 : 40 ) MSL - `` Curiosity Descent '' ( 2012 - 08 - 21 ) ( sim&real / narrated ) - Video ( 04 : 06 ) MSL - `` Curiosity Descent '' ( 2012 - 08 - 06 ) ( real time / 25fps ) - Video ( 01 : 57 ) MSL - `` Curiosity Descent '' ( 2012 - 08 - 06 ) ( all / 4fps ) - NASA / JPL - Video ( 03 : 04 ) MSL - Landing ( `` 7 Minutes of Terror '' ) - NASA / JPL - Video ( 05 : 08 ) MSL - Landing ( EDL / EntryDescentLanding ) - Animated Video ( 02 : 00 ) MSL - Landing Site - Gale Crater - Animated / Narrated Video ( 02 : 37 ) MSL - Landing Site - Gale Crater - Google Mars ( zoomable map ) MSL - Curiosity Rover - Learn About Curiosity - NASA / JPL MSL - Curiosity Rover - Virtual Tour - NASA / JPL MSL - NASA Image Gallery Weather Reports from the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station ( REMS ) Curiosity on Twitter MSL - NASA Update - AGU Conference ( 2012 - 12 - 03 ) Video ( 70 : 13 ) Panorama ( via Universe Today ) High - resolution animation by Seán Doran of Curiosity doing the ' Naukluft Traverse ' ( rover 's speed is increased for dramatic effect ) ; see more in album Videos on YouTube : Curiosity 's First Five Years ( 02 : 07 ) ; Curiosity 's POV : Five Years Driving ( 05 : 49 ) ; Curiosity 's Discoveries About Gale Crater ( 02 : 54 ) ) Interactive imagemap of the global topography of Mars, overlain with locations of Mars landers and rovers ( Red label = Rover ; Blue label = Lander ; bold red / blue = currently active ). Hover your mouse to see the names of over 25 prominent geographic features, and click to link to them. Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations, based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA 's Mars Global Surveyor. Reds and pinks are higher elevation ( + 3 km to + 8 km ) ; yellow is 0 km ; greens and blues are lower elevation ( down to − 8 km ). Whites ( > + 12 km ) and browns ( > + 8 km ) are the highest elevations. Axes are latitude and longitude ; Poles are not shown. ( See also : Mars map & Mars Memorials & Mars Memorials map ) ( view discuss ) ← Beagle 2 ( 2003 ) Curiosity ( 2012 ) → Deep Space 2 ( 1999 ) → Mars 2 ( 1971 ) → ← Mars 3 ( 1971 ) Mars 6 ( 1973 ) → Polar Lander ( 1999 ) ↓ ↑ Opportunity ( 2004 ) ← Phoenix ( 2008 ) Schiaparelli EDM ( 2016 ) → ← Sojourner ( 1997 ) Spirit ( 2004 ) ↑ Viking 1 ( 1976 ) → Viking 2 ( 1976 ) → Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory ↓ Bradbury ↓ Glenelg ↓ Dingo Gap ↓ Mojave ↓ Murray ↓ Old Soaker ↓ Testings ↓ 1st Drilling ↓ Dents ↓ Old - lake ↓ Old - lake ↓ Stratified ↓ Begin ↓ Launch Delay ↓ Launch ↓ Landing ↓ Driving ↓ Driving ↓ Driving ↓ Driving ↓ Driving │ │ 2006 │ 2008 │ │ 2012 │ 2014 │ 2016 │ 2018 │ 2020 │ 2022 │ 2024 Mars Science Laboratory General Curiosity rover Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory Instruments APXS ChemCam CheMin DAN DRT Hazcam MARDI MAHLI MastCam Navcam RAD REMS Robotic arm SAM Features MarsDial MMRTG Rocker - bogie Sites Aeolis Mons ( Mount Sharp ) Aeolis Palus Bradbury Landing Gale Crater Glenelg Peace Vallis Rocknest Yellowknife Bay Rocks Bathurst Inlet Coronation Goulburn Hottah Jake Matijevic Link Rocknest Rocknest 3 Tintina Book Category Portal : Mars Astrobiology Disciplines Astrophysics Biochemistry Evolutionary biology Exoplanetology Astrochemistry Microbiology Paleontology Planetary science Topics Allan Hills 84001 Biomolecule Biosignature Circumstellar habitable zone Drake equation Earliest known life forms Earth analog Extraterrestrial life Extremophiles Hypothetical types of biochemistry List of microorganisms tested in outer space Natural satellite habitability Ocean planet Origin of life Panspermia Planetary habitability Search for extraterrestrial intelligence ( SETI ) Yamato meteorite Space missions Earth orbit Biolab Bion BIOPAN Biosatellite program ERA EXOSTACK EXPOSE O / OREOS OREOcube Tanpopo VEGGIE Mars missions Beagle 2 ExoMars ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Schiaparelli EDM lander Fobos - Grunt Mars Science Laboratory Phoenix Viking Planned BioSentinel Europa Clipper ExoMars ExoMars rover ExoMars 2020 surface platform Mars 2020 Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover Proposed Biological Oxidant and Life Detection Enceladus Explorer Enceladus Life Finder ‎ Enceladus Life Signatures and Habitability ExoLance Explorer of Enceladus and Titan Icebreaker Life Journey to Enceladus and Titan Laplace - P Life Investigation For Enceladus Mars sample return mission Northern Light Oceanus THEO Cancelled Astrobiology Field Laboratory Beagle 3 Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment Mars Astrobiology Explorer - Cacher Red Dragon Terrestrial Planet Finder Related Astrobiology Society of Britain Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets Breakthrough Initiatives Breakthrough Listen Breakthrough Message Carl Sagan Institute Molecules detected in outer space NASA Astrobiology Institute Nexus for Exoplanet System Science Ocean Worlds Exploration Program Category Portal Spacecraft missions to Mars Current Orbiters ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Mangalyaan Mars Express Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter MAVEN 2001 Mars Odyssey Rovers Curiosity timeline Opportunity observations Past Flybys Dawn Mariner 4 Mariner 6 Mariner 7 Mars 1 Mars 6 Mars 7 Nozomi Rosetta Zond 2 Orbiters Mariner 9 Mars 2 Mars 3 Mars 4 Mars 5 Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Global Surveyor Mars Observer Phobos program Phobos 1 Phobos 2 Viking program Viking 1 Viking 2 Landers Beagle 2 ExoMars Schiaparelli Mars 2 Mars 3 Mars 6 Mars 7 Mars Pathfinder Mars Polar Lander / Deep Space 2 Phoenix Viking 1 Viking 2 Rovers Prop - M Sojourner Spirit observations Special Zond 3 ( crossed Mars orbit ) Failed launch Fobos - Grunt / Yinghuo - 1 Kosmos 419 1M No. 1 1M No. 2 2MV - 4 No. 1 2MV - 3 No. 1 Mariner 3 2M No. 521 2M No. 522 Mariner 8 Mars 96 Planned InSight / Mars Cube One ( 2018 ) ExoMars rover / ExoMars 2020 surface platform ( 2020 ) Mangalyaan 2 ( 2020 ) Mars 2020 ( 2020 ) Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover ( 2020 ) Mars Hope ( 2020 ) NICT Mars mission ( 2020 ) Psyche ( 2023, flyby only ) Proposed BOLD Icebreaker Life Inspiration Mars Mars 2022 Mars Geyser Hopper Mars - Grunt Mars One Mars sample return mission MELOS rover MetNet Northern Light PADME Phootprint SCIM Sky - Sailor Cancelled / concepts ARES Astrobiology Field Laboratory Beagle 3 Mars 4NM & 5NM Mars 5M ( Mars - 79 ) Mars - Aster Mars Astrobiology Explorer - Cacher Mars Surveyor Lander Mars Telecommunications Orbiter NetLander Red Dragon Vesta Voyager Related Mars race Features and artificial objects on Mars Features and memorials on Mars indicates failure en route or before intended mission data returned. Mars Exploration Rover program General Mars Exploration Rover ( MER ) Spirit rover ( MER - A ) Opportunity rover ( MER - B ) Scientific information Spirit rover Gusev crater Surface features of Mars imaged by Spirit Opportunity rover Timeline Meridiani Planum Endeavour crater Surface features of Mars imaged by Opportunity Instruments APXS Cameras ( Hazcam, Navcam, Pancam ) MIMOS II Mini-TES Rock Abrasion Tool ( RAT ) Rover embedded computers Related Computers ( IBM RAD6000 ) DSN JPL Maestro Rocker - bogie Rockets ( Delta II Heavy ) Cleaning event Other Phoenix lander Curiosity rover timeline ExoMars rover Mars 2020 rover mission 2001 Mars Odyssey Mars Global Surveyor Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 37452 Spirit 39382 Opportunity NASA planetary exploration programs Active Discovery Explorer Small Explorer Flagship Mars Exploration New Frontiers Voyager Being established Ocean Worlds Exploration Program Completed Apollo Lunar Orbiter Lunar Precursor Mariner Mars Scout Mars Surveyor ' 98 MESUR Pioneer Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor Viking Cancelled Constellation Mariner Mark II New Millennium Grand Tour Project Prometheus Voyager ( Mars ) 21st - century space probes Active space probes Moon ARTEMIS Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars ExoMars TGO Mangalyaan Mars Express 2001 Mars Odyssey MAVEN MER Opportunity MRO MSL Curiosity Minor planets Chang'e 2 Dawn Hayabusa 2 / MASCOT New Horizons OSIRIS - REx PROCYON Others ACE Akatsuki Gaia IKAROS Juno SOHO STEREO THEMIS Voyager 1 Voyager 2 Completed after 2000 by termination date NEAR Shoemaker Deep Space 1 2003 Pioneer 10 Galileo Nozomi Genesis 2005 Huygens 2006 Mars Global Surveyor 2008 Phoenix 2009 Chang'e 1 Ulysses Chandrayaan - 1 SELENE LCROSS Hayabusa MER Spirit 2011 Stardust 2012 GRAIL 2013 Deep Impact 2014 LADEE Venus Express Chang'e 5 - T1 2015 MESSENGER Chang'e 3 / Yutu 2016 Rosetta / Philae ExoMars Schiaparelli 2017 LISA Pathfinder Cassini List of Solar System probes List of missions to the Moon List of space telescopes Mars Outline of Mars Geography Atmosphere Circulation Climate Dust devil tracks Methane Regions Arabia Terra Cerberus Hemisphere Cydonia Eridania Lake Iani Chaos Olympia Undae Planum Australe Planum Boreum Quadrangles Sinus Meridiani Tempe Terra Terra Cimmeria Terra Sabaea Tharsis Undae Ultimi Scopuli Vastitas Borealis Features Canyons Catenae Chaos terrain Craters Fossae Gullies Mensae Labyrinthi Mountains by height Observed rocks Outflow channels Plains Valley network Valleys Geology Brain terrain Canals ( list ) Carbonates Chaos terrain Color Composition Concentric crater fill Dark slope streak Dichotomy Fretted terrain Geysers Glaciers Groundwater Gullies Lakes Lava tubes Lobate debris apron Meteorites on Earth on Mars North Polar Basin Ocean hypothesis Ore resources Polar caps Recurring slope lineae ( RSL ) Ring mold craters Rootless cones Seasonal flows Soil Spherules Surface `` Swiss cheese '' feature Terrain softening Tharsis bulge Volcanology Water Yardangs History Amazonian Hesperian Noachian Observation history Classical albedo features Astronomy Moons Phobos Stickney crater Monolith Deimos Swift crater Voltaire crater Transits Solar eclipses on Mars Satellite transits Phobos Deimos Planetary transits Earth Venus Mercury Asteroids Mars - crossers 2007 WD 5 Trojans 5261 Eureka 1998 VF 1999 UJ 2007 NS Comets C / 2013 A1 ( Siding Spring ) ( Mars close approach, 19 Oct 2014 ) Exploration Concepts Flyby Orbiter Landing Rover Sample return Manned mission Permanent settlement Colonization Terraforming Current ExoMars orbiter lander Mangalyaan Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity observed Mars Express 2001 Mars Odyssey Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE HiWish program Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity timeline MAVEN Past Beagle 2 Deep Space 2 Mariner program Mariner 4 Mariner 6 and 7 Mariner 9 Mars program Mars 1 Mars 2 Mars 3 Mars 4 Mars 5 Mars 6 Mars 7 Mars 96 Mars Exploration Rover Spirit observed Mars Global Surveyor MOC Mars Observer Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Mars Surveyor ' 98 program Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Polar Lander Nozomi Phobos program Phobos 1 Phobos 2 Phoenix Viking program Viking 1 Viking 2 Yinghuo - 1 Zond 2 Future ExoMars rover surface platform Hope InSight Mangalyaan 2 Mars 2020 MOXIE PIXL SHERLOC Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover Proposed Robotic Icebreaker Life Mars 2022 orbiter Mars Geyser Hopper Mars - Grunt MELOS MetNet Northern Light PADME Phobos Surveyor Phootprint Manned Interplanetary Transport System Mars Base Camp Mars Design Reference Mission Austere Human Missions to Mars Mars Direct Mars One Mars to Stay Abandoned Caves of Mars Project Mars Piloted Orbital Station Red Dragon SCIM TMK Simulations Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Haughton -- Mars Project HI - SEAS Mars Analogue Research Station Program Euro - MARS FMARS MARS - Oz MDRS MARS - 500 Strategies Mars Scout Program Mars Exploration Program Mars Exploration Joint Initiative Mars Next Generation Advocacy The Mars Project The Case for Mars Inspiration Mars Foundation Mars Institute Mars Society ICAMSR Mars race Related Artificial objects on Mars Memorials on Mars Fiction List of films set on Mars Martian Martian scientist Mythology Phobos and Deimos in fiction Flag of Mars Life on Mars Sub-Earth Timekeeping on Mars Darian calendar Book Category Portal 2012 in space Space probe launches Van Allen Probes Comets C / 2011 Q2 ( McNaught ) C / 2012 C2 ( Bruenjes ) C / 2006 S3 ( LONEOS ) C / 2013 L2 ( Catalina ) C / 2010 R1 ( LINEAR ) C / 2011 U3 ( PANSTARRS ) C / 2011 UF305 ( LINEAR ) C / 2011 R1 ( McNaught ) C / 2013 F1 ( Boattini ) C / 2013 G2 ( McNaught ) C / 2012 J1 ( Catalina ) NEOs Asteroid close approaches 2012 EG 5 2012 TV 2012 TC 4 2012 KP 24 2012 BX 34 2012 FP 35 2012 KT 42 Exoplanets Gliese 667 Cc Alpha Centauri Bb Gliese 163 c HD 40307 e HD 40307 f HD 40307 g Kappa Andromedae b KELT - 2Ab Kepler - 23b Kepler - 32b Kepler - 32c Kepler - 34b Kepler - 36b Kepler - 42c Kepler - 47b Kepler - 47c Kepler - 56 Kepler - 80 Kepler - 88 Kepler - 89 PH1b Tau Ceti e Tau Ceti f Space exploration ANUSAT Curiosity Dragon C2+ Edoardo Amaldi ATV Ekspress AM4 Explorer 8 Fobos - Grunt Kedr Kosmos 2176 Kosmos 2261 Kounotori 3 Navid PharmaSat Progress M - 13M Progress M - 14M Progress M - 15M Sfera Shenzhou 9 Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer Soyuz TMA - 03M Soyuz TMA - 04M Soyuz TMA - 05M Soyuz TMA - 22 SpaceX CRS - 1 TacSat - 3 USA - 226 Yinghuo - 1 Category : 2011 in space -- Category : 2012 in space -- Category : 2013 in space Astrobiology portal Mars portal Robotics portal Spaceflight portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Curiosity_(rover)&oldid=799928862 '' Categories : Space probes launched in 2011 2011 robots Aeolis quadrangle American inventions Astrobiology Mars rovers Mars Science Laboratory NASA space probes Nuclear power in space Nuclear - powered robots Six - wheeled robots Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from January 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2017 All articles containing potentially dated statements Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Català Dansk Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français 한국어 Ido Bahasa Indonesia ಕನ್ನಡ Kapampangan Қазақша Lietuvių മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu नेपाली Norsk Norsk nynorsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Português සිංහල Simple English کوردی Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు Türkçe Українська اردو 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 10 September 2017, at 17 : 28. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the mars rover land on mars
Answer: August 6, 2012