Mars Science Laboratory

Launch: Curiosity launched on November 26, 2011, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Mars Landing: Curiosity landed on 10:32 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5, 2012 (1:32 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2012) , landing site Gale Crater, Mars.

Mission Status: Active Follow Curiosity's journey

• Determine whether life ever arose on Mars

• Characterize the climate of Mars

• Characterize the geology of Mars

• Prepare for human exploration

• Just after landing, Curiosity found smooth, rounded pebbles that likely rolled downstream for at least a few miles in a river that was ankle- to hip-deep. When Curiosity reached Mount Sharp, the team found that over 1,000 vertical feet of rock formed originally as mud at the bottom of a series of shallow lakes. Rivers and lakes persisted in Gale crater for perhaps a million years or longer.

• The Curiosity rover found that ancient Mars had the right chemistry to support living microbes. Curiosity found sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon-- key ingredients necessary for life--in the powder sample drilled from the "Sheepbed" mudstone in Yellowknife Bay. The sample also reveals clay minerals and not too much salt, which suggests fresh, possibly drinkable water once flowed there.

• Organic molecules are the building blocks of life, and they were discovered on Mars after a long search by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument in several samples drilled from Mount Sharp and the surrounding plains. The finding doesn't necessarily mean there is past or present life on Mars, but it shows that raw ingredients existed for life to get started there at one time. It also means that ancient organic materials can be preserved for us to recognize and study today.

• The Tunable Laser Spectrometer within the SAM instrument detected a seasonally varying background level of atmospheric methane and observed a ten-fold increase in methane over a two-month period. The discovery of methane is exciting because methane can be produced by living organisms or by chemical reactions between rock and water, for example. Which process is producing methane on Mars? What caused the brief and sudden increase?

• Curiosity experienced radiation levels that would exceed NASA's career limit for astronauts, if left unshielded. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument on Curiosity found that two forms of radiation pose potential health risks to astronauts in deep space. One is galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), particles caused by supernova explosions and other high-energy events outside the solar system. The other is solar energetic particles (SEPs) associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun. NASA will use Curiosity's data to design missions to be safe for human explorers.

• The SAM instrument suite has found Mars' present atmosphere to be enriched in the heavier forms (isotopes) of hydrogen, carbon, and argon. These measurements indicate that Mars has lost much of its original atmosphere and inventory of water. This loss occurred to space through the top of the atmosphere, a process currently being observed by the MAVEN orbiter.

• Mastcam - A camera that takes color images and color video footage of the Martian terrain. The instrument is also used to study the Martian landscape and support the driving and sampling operations of the rover.

• Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) - A camera that provides earthbound scientists with close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust.

• Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) - A camera that took color video during the rover's descent toward the surface, providing an "astronaut's view" of the local environment.

• Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) - A spectrometer that measures the abundance of chemical elements in rocks and soils.

• Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) - An instrument that first uses a laser to vaporize materials then later analyzes their elemental composition using an on-board spectrograph.

• Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction (CheMin) - An instrument that identifies and measures the abundances of various minerals on Mars.

• Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite - A suite of instruments that searches for compounds of the element carbon that are associated with life and explores ways in which they are generated and destroyed in the Martian ecosphere.

• Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) - An instrument that measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the Martian surface, such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays.

• Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) - A pulsing neutron generator that is used to detect detect water content as low as one-tenth of 1 percent and resolve layers of water and ice beneath the surface.

• Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) - An instrument that measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on Martian weather.

• Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) - An instrument that collected engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere.

Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) - converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity. The MMRTG is designed to provide 125W of electrical power at the start of the mission, falling to 100W after 14 years of service.

2 lithium ion rechargeable batteries to meet peak demands of rover activities when the demand temporarily exceeds the generator's steady electrical output levels