formal name of the mission deploying the Curiosity roverlaunched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Nov. 26, 2011After Curiosity, the only planned U.S. mission to Mars is an atmospheric orbiter meant to launch next year.
Mission name: Mars Science LaboratoryRover name: Curiosity roverSize: 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.Arm Reach: About 7 feet (2.2 meters)Weight: 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds)Features: Geology lab, rocker-bogie suspension, rock-vaporizing laser and lots of camerasMission: To search areas of Mars for past or present conditions favorable for life, and conditions capable of preserving a record of lifeLaunched: 7:02 a.m. PST, Nov. 26, 2011 (10:02 a.m. EST)Landed: 10:32 p.m. PDT, Aug. 5, 2012 (1:32 a.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2012)Length of mission on Mars: The prime mission will last one Mars year or about 23 Earth months.
Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and OpportunitySome of the tools are the first of their kind on Mars, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking elemental composition of rocks from a distance.The rover will use a drill and scoop at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into analytical laboratory instruments inside the rover
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