Mars Science Laboratory
The aim of the Mars Science Laboratory is to search for signs of ancient life. It is hoped that a later mission could then return samples from sites that the Mars Science Laboratory identified as probably containing remains of life. To safely bring the craft down, a 12-mile-wide, smooth, flat circle is needed. Geologists hope to examine places where water once ponded. They would like to examine sediment layers. In the end, it was decided to send the Mars science Laboratory, called "Curiosity," to Gale Crater in the Aeolis quadrangle."