The aptly named Curiosity rover is arguably the largest and most capable rover ever launched by humanity to the surface of Mars. The main objective of the rover is to discover if Mars ever possessed the right environmental conditions to support the existence of simple life forms called microbes. To answer this question, the roughly car-sized rover, which is as tall as a basketball player according to NASA, collects rock, soil, and air samples with tools it manipulates using a 7-foot-long robotic arm.
The relatively large size of Curiosity means it can carry a suite of advanced tools for scientific analysis. These include 17 cameras, a laser it uses to vaporize small rock samples, and a drill to collect powdered rock. These rock samples contain the chemical fingerprint of Mars’ geological history via their composition. Also, of particular importance hidden within rocks are their interactions in the past with liquid water.
In addition to this, Curiosity is capable of detecting organic carbon compounds within rock and soil as well as other complex organic molecules that could have — at some point — served as the building blocks for life on the Red Planet. Curiosity’s mission was originally only scheduled to last two years, but in December 2012, this was extended indefinitely. As of August 1, 2022, it has been conducting science on Mars for 3,550 Earth days.
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