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Curiosity

Curiosity is a robotic rover that landed on Mars in August 2012. It's packed with scientific instruments, and its goal is investigating whether Mars has ever had environmental conditions favorable for life.

FEATURES

Equipped with 10 science instruments. Able to analyze rocks by acquiring samples or zapping them with laser. Capable of driving over rugged terrain.

HEIGHT

210 cm | 82.7 in

LENGTH

300 cm | 118.1 in

WIDTH

280 cm | 110.2 in

WEIGHT

899 kg | 1982 lb

SPEED

0.14 km/h | 0.1 mph (on flat, hard ground)

SENSORS

17 cameras (three main science cameras and various navigation cameras), four spectrometers, two radiation detectors, an environmental sensor, and an atmospheric sensor.

ACTUATORS

10 actuators for the wheels, three for remote sensing mast, two for high-gain antenna, five for arm movements, three for the percussive drill, one for dust removal tool, four for sampling handling and scoop, three for sample inlet covers, two for pumps on the thermal-fluid loop, and approximately 10 more in various instruments, such as for camera focus.

POWER

Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (converts heat from plutonium-238 into electricity).

COMPUTING

Two redundant main computers (one operational and one spare), each powered by a BAE Systems RAD 750, a 200 MHz radiation-hardened processor with PowerPC 750 architecture. Each computer has 2 GB of flash memory, 256 MB of DRAM, and 256 KB of EEPROM.

SOFTWARE

On-board flight software (monitors and controls the spacecraft during all phases of the mission, checks for the presence of commands to execute, and performs communication functions).

DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)

43 (Wheel drive: 1 DoF x 6; Corner-wheel steering: 1 DoF x 4; Remote sensing mast: 3 DoF; High-gain antenna: 2 DoF; Arm: 5 DoF; Percussive drill: 3 DoF; Dust removal tool: 1 DoF; Sample handling and scoop: 4 DoF; Sample inlet covers: 3 DoF; Pumps on the thermal-fluid loop: 2 DoF; Other instruments: 10 DoF)

MATERIALS

The main materials are aluminum and titanium. The chassis, the core of the rover, has insulated surfaces to house the electronics.

COST

$1.8 billion (development of mission's full flight system, including the rover, spacecraft, and all instruments)

STATUS

Ongoing

WEBSITE

http://www.nasa.gov/msl



CREATOR

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

COUNTRY

United States

Year

2011

Type

Aerospace

RATINGS

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Curiosity's software has more than 500,000 lines of code.

,

The rover carries a nuclear power source that could keep it operational for years.

HISTORY



NASA started the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission around 2004, as part of its Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort for the robotic exploration of Mars. The main goal is studying whether the Gale Crater area of Mars has evidence of past and present habitable environments. The MSL mission is managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif., which previously built the successful Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and before them, Sojourner. JPL completed the Curiosity rover and its transport spacecraft in 2011, and launch took place in November 2011. Curiosity successfully landed in Gale Crater on 6 August 2012. It's now exploring the planet's climate and geology using 10 different scientific instruments designed by an international team. The total cost of the MSL project, including hardware, development, and operations, is about $2.5 billion.