← ALL ROVERS
LOCATIONBradbury Landing
LAT-4.72°
LON137.38°
DISTANCE TRAVELED32.0 km
SOLS ACTIVE4,100
ACTIVE
32.0
KM TRAVELED
TOTAL DISTANCE
19.88 mi
4,100
SOLS
AND COUNTING
1,100,000
PHOTOS
IMAGES CAPTURED
41
SAMPLES
COLLECTED
899
KG
ROVER MASS
1,982 lbs
0.14 km/h (4 cm/s)
TOP SPEED
MAXIMUM VELOCITY
Curiosity is a mars rover by NASA / JPL. Landed August 6, 2012. Operating at Bradbury Landing. Has traveled 32.0 km.
ABOUT CURIOSITY
Curiosity is a car-sized Mars rover that landed in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars at the time, it was lowered to the surface by an innovative “sky crane” system. Powered by a nuclear battery (MMRTG), Curiosity has been climbing Mount Sharp — a 5.5 km high mound of sedimentary layers — reading billions of years of Mars’s geological history. It has confirmed that Gale Crater once hosted a habitable lake environment, discovered organic molecules in ancient rocks, and detected seasonal methane fluctuations in the atmosphere.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Evidence Mars once had conditions favorable for microbial life
- Organic compounds found in ancient Martian rocks
- Seasonal methane variations in Mars atmosphere
- Ancient streambed found at Gale Crater
- Climbing Mount Sharp revealing billions of years of Mars geological history
- Clay minerals confirming long-standing water at Gale Crater
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- Sky crane landing system (first use)
- Nuclear-powered (MMRTG) u2014 operates day and night, all seasons
- First rover to drill into Martian rocks
- Car-sized rover u2014 5x heavier than MER rovers
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (10)
Mast Camera (Mastcam)
Chemistry and Camera Complex (ChemCam)
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)
Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin)
Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN)
Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)
Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)
Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Wheels6
Mass899 kg (1,982 lbs)
Dimensions3.0m long, 2.7m wide, 2.2m tall
Top Speed0.14 km/h (4 cm/s)
PowerRTG (MMRTG, Plutonium-238) (110W)
CommunicationsUHF relay via MRO/MAVEN + X-band direct to Earth
Design Life2 years (687 sols)
Landing DateAugust 6, 2012
ProgramMars Science Laboratory
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION