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how big is the curiosity rover
It has a mass of 30kg (66lb) and its diameter, including the tools mounted on it, is about 60cm (24in). Where is curiosity? Curiosity is twice as long (about 2.8 meters, or 9 feet) and four times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Curiosity landed at Gale Crater, a 96-mile (154-kilometer) diameter impact crater estimated to be 3.5 to 3.8 billion years old. 1. overcurious - showing excessive curiosity. As of Feb. 23, 2017, Curiosity had driven 9.7 miles (15.63 kilometers) since landing. Moore Boeck, A 3D model of the Mars Curiosity Rover. NASA. The rover is about as tall as a basketball player and uses a 7-foot (2-meter) arm to place tools close to rocks for study. This problem remained unresolved until May 2018 when a new method of percussive drilling finally opened the path to further use of the instrument. Curiosity resumed full operations after a period of limited activity for most of June when Mars passed nearly behind the Sun, relative to Earth. MAVEN returned to normal science and relay operations on May 28, 2022, after recovering from an extended safe mode event. Curiosity, also called Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), U.S. robotic vehicle, designed to explore the surface of Mars, which determined that Mars was once capable of supporting life. [95], The rover has two pairs of black and white navigation cameras mounted on the mast to support ground navigation. Curiosity descending under its parachute (6 August 2012; MRO/HiRISE). Curiosity Rover Sees Earth from Mars for 1st Time (Photos) Curiosity is able to travel up to 295 feet (90 meters) per hour on its six-wheeled rocker-bogie system. In 2020, Curiosity bounced back from yet another glitch when it lost its orientation partway through its last set of activities. Download Options Fast Facts Explore the Curiosity Rover in 3D Vapors from a "wet chemistry" experiment filled with a fluid called MTBSTFA (N-methyl-N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide) contaminated a gas-sniffing analysis instrument shortly after Curiosity landed. [105] Using the same collection optics, the RMI provides context images of the LIBS analysis spots. In 2018, results based on Curiosity's work added more evidence that life was possible on Mars. In March 2017, JPL controllers uploaded software for traction control that helped the rover adjust wheel speed depending on the rocks it is climbing. Curiosity's ongoing mission is to study the ancient habitability and the potential for life on Mars. A 41-yard drive on July 17 meant that Curiosity had now traveled a total distance of 0.62 miles (1 kilometer) since it landed. A sharp change So, why did Mars become uninhabitable? Powder from the first drill samples that Curiosity obtained included the elements of sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon, which are all considered "building blocks" or fundamental elements that could support life. [25] In addition to the fixed RGBG Bayer pattern filter, each camera has an eight-position filter wheel. Three days later, Curiosity experienced a so-called fault-protection action that stopped the robot from transferring sample material between devices because of an irregularity in the electric current. [160] In keeping with a 40-year tradition, a plaque with the signatures of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden was also installed. Gale crater Everything you need to know about the Mars rover Curiosity These measurements have never been done before from the inside of a spacecraft in interplanetary space. [20], Curiosity is 2.9m (9ft 6in) long by 2.7m (8ft 10in) wide by 2.2m (7ft 3in) in height,[21] larger than Mars Exploration Rovers, which are 1.5m (4ft 11in) long and have a mass of 174kg (384lb) including 6.8kg (15lb) of scientific instruments. Despite the problem with the drill, Curiosity was once again investigating active sand dunes (the so-called Bagnold Dunes). According to NASA, Curiosity has four main science goals in support of the agency's Mars exploration program: The goals are closely interlinked. These instruments perform precision measurements of oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere of Mars in order to distinguish between their geochemical or biological origin. "Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer, is a first hand account of the development and landing of the Curiosity Rover. Mars rover takes big steps in its most important mission NASA's Curiosity rover captured its highest-resolution panorama, including more than a thousand images and 1.8 billion pixels, of the Martian surface between November 24 and December 1, 2019. [165], On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover mission landing, and related exploratory accomplishments, on the planet Mars. NASA officials said the parachute would need to withstand 65,000 lbs. The other camera in the MastCam is the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), which has a 100mm (3.9in) focal length, a 5.1 field of view, and can yield 7.4cm/pixel (2.9 in/pixel) scale at 1km (0.62mi). [87] This system can make some images with focus stacking processing. The rover's drill chewed easily through the rock, unlike some of the tougher targets it faced nearby on Vera Rubin Ridge. The traction control algorithm uses real-time data to vary the wheel speed, thus reducing pressure from the rocks. Rover Power: A nuclear battery will enable Curiosity to operate year-round and farther from the . The robot is designed to hunt for signs of past microbial life, if it ever existed . Curiosity began its first drive on Aug. 29, 2012, and took about two months to travel about 440 yards (400 meters) east to a location named Glenelg. [148] The Curiosity team continued to perform diagnostics and testing on the drill mechanism throughout 2017,[149] and resumed drilling operations on May 22, 2018. [163] Curiosity served as the basis for the design of the Perseverance rover for the Mars 2020 rover mission. [118] The paragonetic tephra from a Hawaiian cinder cone has been mined to create Martian regolith simulant for researchers to use since 1998. Curiositys expense, estimated at more than $1 billion, as well as the two-year delay in its launch, led to the institution of stronger requirements to maintain baseline cost and baseline schedules for future missions. MAHLI has an 18.3 to 21.3mm (0.72 to 0.84in) focal length and a 33.838.5 field of view. Curiosity drilled a piece of bedrock nicknamed Aberlady on April 6, 2019, and delivered the sample to its internal mineralogy lab. The cameras use visible light to capture stereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) imagery. The wheels' diameter is double the wheel diameter on Spirit and Opportunity, which will help Curiosity roll over obstacles up to 75 centimeters (30 inches) high. Once the rover reached a suitable "airfield" location, it released Ingenuity to the surface so it could perform a series of test flights over a 30-Martian-day . [73], 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 20m (66ft) tether from the "sky crane" system to a soft landingwheels downon the surface of Mars. This includes: The spacecraft arrived on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, after a daring landing sequence that NASA dubbed "Seven Minutes of Terror." A similar entry and landing process was repeated in Feb. 2021 when the Perseverance rover arrived on Mars. [83][126][127][128], The Dust Removal Tool (DRT) is a motorized, wire-bristle brush on the turret at the end of Curiosity's arm. Curiosity's ongoing mission is to study the ancient habitability and the potential for life on Mars. 12 min read. Curiosity comprised 23% of the mass of the 3,893kg (8,583lb) spacecraft at launch. The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station measures the wind's speed and charts its direction, as well as determines the temperature and humidity in the surrounding air. In less than two weeks, on Sept. 24, 2014, the rovers hammering drill was used to drill about 2.6 inches (6.7 centimeters) into a basal-layer outcrop on Mount Sharp and then collected the first powdered rock sample from its ultimate target. [86] Malin also developed a pair of MastCams with zoom lenses,[92] 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. While the Bayer filter reduces visible light throughput, all three colors are mostly transparent at wavelengths longer than 700nm, and have minimal effect on such infrared observations. Its dust season and winter on Mars, meaning theres more dust in the air and less sunlight to help recharge Ingenuitys batteries. A bogie is a train undercarriage with wheels that can swivel to curve along a track. In early 2018, Curiosity sent back pictures of crystals that could have formed from ancient lakes on Mars. Engineers had mechanical trouble with Curiosity's drill starting in ate 2016, when a motor linked with two stabilizing posts on the drill bit ceased working. Will Artemis astronauts look for life on the moon? "Finally drilling at the clay-bearing unit is a major milestone in our journey up Mount Sharp.". This is a focus-merged view from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. The small amounts of carbon detected could not be properly sourced and might have been from instrument contamination. Evidence for life: Organic molecules and methane. While this is not evidence of life itself, the find was still exciting to the scientists involved in the mission. NASA has finished the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return Program. After a series of tests running through early March, mission planners finally directed the robotic arm to resume its work March 11 and to have it deliver a sample to the CheMin analytic instrument. Curiosity also made the first definitive identification of organics on Mars, as announced in December 2014. [106][107] The cameras have a 45 angle of view and use visible light to capture stereoscopic 3-D imagery. [2] Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral (CCAFS) on November 26, 2011, at 15:02:00 UTC and landed on Aeolis Palus inside Gale crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05:17:57 UTC. The prime mission lasted one Mars year or about 23 Earth months, and Curiosity continues to operate on Mars today. Curiosity Rover | Latest News, Photos & Videos NASA . Science Writers: The term "rocker" comes from the design of the differential, which keeps the rover body balanced, enabling it to "rock" up or down depending on the various positions of the multiple wheels. Curiosity rover detects highest levels of methane on Mars | CNN The Sample Analysis of Mars instrument, if it does pick up evidence of organic material, can double-check that. Curiosity's landing site, Bradbury Landing, as seen by MRO/HiRISE (14 August 2012), Curiosity's first tracks viewed by MRO/HiRISE (6 September 2012). Vasavada thinks it's likely a combination of events. On Oct. 27, 2012, Curiosity conducted its first X-ray diffraction analysis of Martian soil, and on Dec. 3, NASA announced the results of Curiositys first extensive soil analysis, which revealed the presence of water molecules, sulfur, and chlorine. It covers an area about 2 inches (5 centimeters) across. In December 2012, Curiosity's two-year mission was extended indefinitely,[10] and on August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover landing. 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. PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet. How NASA Built Its Mars Rovers Continuing its studies at Mount Sharp, on Sept. 29, 2015, Curiosity drilled its eighth hole (and fifth at Mount Sharp), one that was about 2.6 inches (65-millimeters) deep in a rock known as Big Sky as part of an experiment to analyze Martian rocks in both the CheMin and SAM instrument suites. Ten years ago today, a jetpack lowered NASA's Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorer's pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life. (Image credit:. From a fiery entry into the atmosphere, a supersonic parachute needed to deploy to slow the spacecraft. After launch by an Atlas V 541 (powered by a Russian RD-180 engine), MSL was delivered into a 103 201-mile (165 324-kilometer) orbit around Earth at a 35.5-degree inclination. Among them is an experiment that bombards the surface with neutrons, which would slow down if they encountered hydrogen atoms: one of the elements of water. "The recommendations of the review and what we want to do as a science team are going to align because we have now arrived at Mount Sharp.". We all know Mars rovers - motor vehicles that travel across the surface of . NASA robotic rover exploring the crater Gale on Mars, Radioisotope pellet within a graphite shell that fuels the generator, First night-time pictures on Mars (white-light left/, Interactive 3D model of the rover (with extended arm), Curiosity Traverse Path showing its current location, Missions are ordered by launch date. The rover is designed to scoop up soil and rocks and to investigate their formation, structure, and chemical composition in order to look for the chemical building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur). This was also the first time music was transmitted between two planets. (Some Internet rumors speculated the features were signs of burrowing life, but NASA quickly discounted that hypothesis based on their linear angles a feature that is very similar to crystalline growth.). [130][131], The DAN instrument employs a neutron source and detector for measuring the quantity and depth of hydrogen or ice and water at or near the Martian surface. The Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity, dominates the Mars rover showroom, stretching twice as long (about 10 feet, or 3 meters) and built five times as heavy (1,982 pounds, or 899 kilograms) as NASA's record-setting 2003 models, Spirit and Opportunity. The update brings loads of improvements, the most significant being new driving capabilities. First-year and first-mile map of Curiosity's traverse on Mars (1 August 2013) (3-D). As Curiosity continued toward Mount Sharp, NASA announced additional findings. These were found in a drilled sample of the Sheepbed mudstone in Gale Crater. By this time, it was clear to NASA engineers that the zigzag treads on Curiositys wheels were suffering damage, jeopardizing the wheels ability to carry the weight of the rover. Just two seconds after the rover touched down, the sky crane and descent stage flew away and crashed about 710 yards (650 meters) away. It is car-sized, about 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall (about 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall). At the time of launch, NASA's Curiosity was the largest and most advanced rover ever sent to Mars. As of Aug. 2, 2022, the rover has traveled 17.64 miles (28.39 kilometers). Curiositys operations depend heavily on the orbital communications capabilities of 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rover continues to study the geology and environment of selected areas on Mars. On Aug. 19, the rover tested its laser on a rock using the chemistry and camera, or ChemCam, instrument. On Aug. 12, 2015, Curiosity finally finished its work at Marias Pass, where it had been since May, and where it had drilled a rock target named Buckskin and found rocks with high silica and hydrogen content. Environmental sensors to look at the current weather. Curiosity has an advanced payload of scientific equipment on Mars. A set of white tubes hangs on a hand-crafted wood board on the wall of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The compounds could be signs of ancient life on Mars but a lot more work is required to test that hypothesis. Honeybee Robotics built the DRT. [6][7], Mission goals include an investigation of the Martian climate and geology, assessment of whether the selected field site inside Gale 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.[8][9]. [162], On June 24, 2014, Curiosity completed a Martian year 687 Earth days after finding that Mars once had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. The nail-biting final moments of Curiositys Aug. 6, 2012, landing were called the seven minutes of terror by the mission team. 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. MSL debris field - parachute landed 615 m from Curiosity (3-D: rover and parachute) (17 August 2012; MRO). NASA. Launch: November 26, 2011: Launch Location: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida . On Sept. 11, 2014, Curiosity arrived at the slopes of Mount Sharp (or Aeolis Mons), now about 4.3 miles (6.9 kilometers) away from its landing point. One thing that makes Curiosity stand out is its sheer size: Curiosity is about the size of a small SUV. Answer (1 of 3): As of August 5th, 2018, Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" has traveled 21.528 kilometers (13.38 miles) on the Red Planet from her landing point in 651 drives over 2132 Martian Sol (days). In December 2015, Curiosity began close examination (and returned spectacular images) of dark sand dunes up to two stories tall, located at Bagnold Dunes, a band along the northwestern side of Mount Sharp. The rover found that Jezero Craters floor is made up of volcanic rocks that have interacted with water. [122], On October 17, 2012, at "Rocknest", the first X-ray diffraction analysis of Martian soil was performed. If the specimen warrants further analysis, Curiosity can drill into the boulder and deliver a powdered sample to either the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) or the CheMin analytical laboratories inside the rover. It includes activities that can be done at home as well as videos, animations, stories, and articles. Since the scientists knew the collected samples were already reacting with the vapor, they eventually derived a way to seek and preserve the organics after extracting, collecting and analyzing the vapor. On Curiosity's front, under foil covers, are several ceramic blocks infused with artificial organic compounds. [115][117], CheMin is the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray powder diffraction and fluorescence instrument. Jump to: Rover mission explained Jezero Crater landing site How Perseverance lands Editor's note: NASA's Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Feb.. [17] The region it is set to explore has been compared to the Four Corners region of the North American west. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. The update, called Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS), represented the first time artificial intelligence was deployed on a faraway spacecraft. At a glance, its easy to see the size evolution between NASAs youngest and oldest rover, but how else have they evolved? The term "bogie" comes from old railroad systems. Design & Development: [95][96][97] The flight model of the mast unit was delivered from the French CNES to Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Curiosity rover can drill holes to investigate Martian rocks and analyze their composition. It weighs 2,000 lbs. About the size of a small SUV 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall (about 3 meters long (not including the arm), 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall), or about the height of a basketball player. Download JPG When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. NASAs Perseverance rover cored and stored the first sample of the missions newest science campaign on Thursday, March 30. Two months later, the rover began making a steep ascent toward the ridge top. A later image, from April 8, 2015, also showed Curiosity very clearly on the lower slope of Mount Sharp. Toggle Rover and lander specifications subsection, Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers, Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems, Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, Laboratoire Inter-Universitaire des Systmes Atmosphriques, Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory Current status, environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, "Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover", "Nasa's Curiosity rover lifts its navigation cameras", "NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing", "Impressive' Curiosity landing only 1.5 miles off, NASA says", "Mars Science Laboratory: Mission Science Goals", "Curiosity's mission extended indefinitely", "Five Years Ago and 154 Million Miles Away: Touchdown! The one on the bottom is Sojourner, the one on the left is a Mars Exploration Rover (two were launched, Spirit and Opportunity), and the one on the right is Curiosity (click image to enlarge). As a result, controllers switched to the backup computer that became operational on March 19. It's just the magnitude of what we're seeing that was the surprise. The rover has a few tools to search for habitability. How is Curiosity looking for signs of life? Summary | Rover - NASA Mars Exploration NASA also released a social media game, Mars Rover, for use on mobile devices where users can drive a rover through Martian terrain while earning points. Click the information button in the top right corner to get started. Perseverance rover: NASA's Mars car to seek signs of ancient life Curiosity's first image after landing (without clear dust cover, 6 August 2012), Curiosity landed on 6 August 2012 near the base of Aeolis Mons (or "Mount Sharp")[169], Curiosity's first color image of the Martian landscape, taken by MAHLI (6 August 2012), Curiosity's self-portrait with closed dust cover (7 September 2012), Curiosity's self-portrait (7 September 2012; color-corrected), Calibration target of MAHLI (9 September 2012; alternate 3-D version), U.S. Lincoln penny on Mars (Curiosity; 10 September 2012)(3-D; 2 October 2013), U.S. Lincoln penny on Mars (Curiosity; 4 September 2018), Wheels on Curiosity. Use this scale to indicate the degree to which the following statements describe you: 1. While it was still several months away from resuming full-scale drilling operations on the Martian surface, this and subsequent tests allowed ground controllers to test techniques, including using the motion of the robotic arm directly to advance the extended bit into the rock, thus working around the mechanical problem that had suspended drill work. [87] MAHLI has both white and ultraviolet Light-emitting diode (LED) illumination for imaging in darkness or fluorescence imaging. Watch SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch for record-breaking 16th time Sunday morning. [79] As of April 17, 2020, the rover has been driven on fewer than 800 of its 2736 sols (Martian days). Learn About the Rover - NASA Mars History First image acquired moments after Perseverance ' s landing, from front left Hazard Avoidance Camera, February 18, 2021 Despite the high-profile success of the Curiosity rover landing in August 2012, NASA's Mars Exploration Program was in a state of uncertainty in the early 2010s. (Previously, a rock sample shattered after being probed with the drill.). From deep below the soil at Earths polar regions to Plutos frozen heart, ice exists all over the solar systemand beyond. To solve the problem, engineers designed the assembly to cut off the parachute, and use rockets for the final part of the landing sequence. Overall, the new software uploaded in 2023 was meant to streamline the task of Curiositys human drivers, who have to write complex plans containing hundreds of commands. But at 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms), it weighs less than a compact car. InSights team is taking steps to help the solar-powered lander continue operating for as long as possible. [161], 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. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller? Curiosity's wheels have a 20-inch (50.8 cm) diameter. [95][99] The LIBS instrument can target a rock or soil sample up to 7m (23ft) away, vaporizing a small amount of it with about 50 to 75 5-nanosecond pulses from a 1067 nm infrared laser and then observes the spectrum of the light emitted by the vaporized rock. Summary | Timeline - NASA Mars Exploration [70][71], According to NASA, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 heat-resistant bacterial spores were on Curiosity at launch, and as many as 1,000 times that number may not have been counted. [22][23][24] 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.[25]. [86], ChemCam is a suite of two remote sensing instruments combined as one: a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and a Remote Micro Imager (RMI) telescope. Later, on Nov. 17, there was a spurious voltage problem that suspended work for a few days. [130] 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-Universitt zu Kiel, Germany. [143][144] 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. NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain Not only was it the largest rover to land on the red planet, but a new landing system was also tested. But it can also point to geological processes. [137], The rover has a 2.1m (6ft 11in) long robotic arm with a cross-shaped turret holding five devices that can spin through a 350 turning range. NASA. Falling at 1.5 mph (2.4 kph), MSL gently touched the ground in Gale Crater about the same moment the sky crane severed the link and flew away, crashing into the surface. The Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, is based on the Mars Science Laboratory 's Curiosity rover configuration. Mars' landscape is covered with interesting rock formations like this butte scene from the "Murray Buttes" area. Rover's Latest Discovery Puts It "On the Table", "Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars", "Mars Panorama - Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2". The remaining mass was discarded in the process of transport and landing. The guided entry within the aeroshell was helped by small attitude control jets that narrowed the landing ellipse for MSL to an area of about 12 4 miles (20 7 kilometers). One study described the discovery of more organic molecules in 3.5-billion-year-old rocks, while the other showed that methane concentrations in the atmosphere change seasonally. Dark, stick-shaped features that are about the size of a grain of rice, can be seen clustered on this Martian rock. Green dot is Curiosity's landing site; upper blue is Glenelg; lower blue is base of Mount Sharp. Bet You Didn't Know: NASA's new rover, Curiosity, has approximately 50 000 partsfrom microscrews to heavy actuatorsor more than twice as many as an average car. NASA's Mars Curiosity rover took this selfie on June 13, 2018. Instead, the rover went through an extremely complicated sequence of maneuvers to land. The ChemCam instrument suite was developed by the French CESR laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. [11][12] (Videos: Curiosity's First Five Years (02:07); Curiosity's POV: Five Years Driving (05:49); Curiosity's Discoveries About Gale Crater (02:54)), As reported in 2018, drill samples taken in 2015 uncovered organic molecules of benzene and propane in 3 billion year old rock samples in Gale.