Curiosity (rover): Difference between revisions

Curiosity is a

Curiosity's rover design will serve as the basis for NASA's 2021 Perseverance mission which will carry different scientific instruments.

Mission

Goals and objectives

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.^[15][16] The mission results will also help prepare for human exploration.^[16] To contribute to these goals, MSL has eight main scientific objectives:^[21]

Biological

1. Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds
2. Investigate the chemical
   building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur
   )
3. Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes (biosignatures and biomolecules)

Geological and geochemical

4. Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geological materials
5. Interpret the processes that have formed and
   modified rocks and soils

Planetary process

6. Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) Martian atmospheric evolution processes
7. Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide

Surface radiation

8. Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including
   solar proton events and secondary neutrons. As part of its exploration, it also measured the radiation exposure in the interior of the spacecraft as it traveled to Mars, and it is continuing radiation measurements as it explores the surface of Mars. This data would be important for a future crewed mission.^[22]

A NASA panel selected the name Curiosity following a nationwide student contest that attracted more than 9,000 proposals via the Internet and mail. A sixth-grade student from Kansas, 12-year-old Clara Ma from Sunflower Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas, submitted the winning entry. As her prize, Ma won a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, where she signed her name directly onto the rover as it was being assembled.^[25]

Ma wrote in her winning essay:

Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone's mind. It makes me get out of bed in the morning and wonder what surprises life will throw at me that day. Curiosity is such a powerful force. Without it, we wouldn't be who we are today. Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder.^[25]

Rover and lander specifications

Curiosity is 2.9 m (9.5 ft) long by 2.7 m (8.9 ft) wide by 2.2 m (7.2 ft) in height,^[26] larger than Mars Exploration Rovers, which are 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long and have a mass of 174 kg (384 lb) including 6.8 kg (15 lb) of scientific instruments.^[27][28][29] 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.^[30]

Curiosity has an advanced

• Dimensions: Curiosity has a mass of 899 kg (1,982 lb) including 80 kg (180 lb) of scientific instruments.[27] The rover is 2.9 m (9.5 ft) long by 2.7 m (8.9 ft) wide by 2.2 m (7.2 ft) in height.^[26]

• Power source: Curiosity is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), like the successful Viking 1 and Viking 2 Mars landers in 1976.^[32][33]

Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) are generators that produce electricity from the decay of

U.S. Department of Energy.^[34]

Curiosity's RTG is the

MJ (2.5 kWh) of electrical energy each day, much more than the solar panels of the now retired Mars Exploration Rovers, which generated about 2.1 MJ (0.58 kWh) each day. The electrical output from the MMRTG charges two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. This enables the power subsystem to meet peak power demands of rover activities when the demand temporarily exceeds the generator's steady output level. Each battery has a capacity of about 42 ampere-hours

.

• Heat rejection system: The temperatures at the landing site can vary from −127 to 40 °C (−197 to 104 °F); therefore, the thermal system warms the rover for most of the Martian year. The thermal system does so in several ways: passively, through the dissipation to internal components; by electrical heaters strategically placed on key components; and by using the rover heat rejection system (HRS).[40] It uses fluid pumped through 60 m (200 ft) of tubing in the rover body so that sensitive components are kept at optimal temperatures.^[41] The fluid loop serves the additional purpose of rejecting heat when the rover has become too warm, and it can also gather waste heat from the power source by pumping fluid through two heat exchangers that are mounted alongside the RTG. The HRS also has the ability to cool components if necessary.^[41]
• Computers: The two identical on-board rover computers, called Rover Compute Element (RCE) contain radiation hardened memory to tolerate the extreme radiation from space and to safeguard against power-off cycles. The computers run the VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS). Each computer's memory includes 256 kB of EEPROM, 256 MB of DRAM, and 2 GB of flash memory.^[42] For comparison, the Mars Exploration Rovers used 3 MB of EEPROM, 128 MB of DRAM, and 256 MB of flash memory.^[43]

The RCE computers use the

MIPS, while the RAD6000 CPU is capable of up to only 35 MIPS.^[46][47] Of the two on-board computers, one is configured as backup and will take over in the event of problems with the main computer.^[42] On February 28, 2013, NASA was forced to switch to the backup computer due to a problem with the active computer's flash memory, which resulted in the computer continuously rebooting in a loop. The backup computer was turned on in safe mode and subsequently returned to active status on March 4.^[48] The same problem happened in late March, resuming full operations on March 25, 2013.^[49]

The rover has an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which is used in rover navigation.^[42] The rover's computers are constantly self-monitoring to keep the rover operational, such as by regulating the rover's temperature.^[42] Activities such as taking pictures, driving, and operating the instruments are performed in a command sequence that is sent from the flight team to the rover.^[42] The rover installed its full surface operations software after the landing because its computers did not have sufficient main memory available during flight. The new software essentially replaced the flight software.^[14]

The rover has four processors. One of them is a SPARC processor that runs the rover's thrusters and descent-stage motors as it descended through the Martian atmosphere. Two others are PowerPC processors: the main processor, which handles nearly all of the rover's ground functions, and that processor's backup. The fourth one, another SPARC processor, commands the rover's movement and is part of its motor controller box. All four processors are single core.^[50]

• Communications: Curiosity is equipped with significant telecommunication redundancy by several means: an
  communications protocols as defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems.^[53]

JPL is the central data distribution hub where selected data products are provided to remote science operations sites as needed. JPL is also the central hub for the uplink process, though participants are distributed at their respective home institutions.^[40] At landing, telemetry was monitored by three orbiters, depending on their dynamic location: the 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA's Mars Express satellite.^[54] As of February 2019, the MAVEN orbiter is being positioned to serve as a relay orbiter while continuing its science mission.^[55]

• Mobility systems: Curiosity is equipped with six 50 cm (20 in) diameter wheels in a rocker-bogie suspension. The suspension system also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors.^[56][57] Each wheel has cleats and is independently actuated and geared, providing for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. Each front and rear wheel can be independently steered, allowing the vehicle to turn in place as well as execute arcing turns.^[40] Each wheel has a pattern that helps it maintain traction but also leaves patterned tracks in the sandy surface of Mars. That pattern is used by on-board cameras to estimate the distance traveled. The pattern itself is Morse code for "JPL" (·--- ·--· ·-··).^[58] The rover is capable of climbing sand dunes with slopes up to 12.5°.^[59] Based on the center of mass, the vehicle can withstand a tilt of at least 50° in any direction without overturning, but automatic sensors limit the rover from exceeding 30° tilts.^[40] After six years of use, the wheels are visibly worn with punctures and tears.^[60]

Curiosity can roll over obstacles approaching 65 cm (26 in) in height,

Aeolis Mons) and it is expected to traverse a minimum of 19 km (12 mi) during its primary two-year mission.^[63] It can travel up to 90 m (300 ft) per hour but average speed is about 30 m (98 ft) per hour.^[63] The vehicle is 'driven' by several operators led by Vandi Verma, group leader of Autonomous Systems, Mobility and Robotic Systems at JPL,^[64][65] who also cowrote the PLEXIL language used to operate the rover.^[66][67][68]

Curiosity landed in Quad 51 (nicknamed Yellowknife) of

Curiosity and surrounding area as viewed by MRO/HiRISE. North is left. (August 14, 2012; enhanced colors)

Rover's landing system

Previous NASA

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 20 m (66 ft) tether from the "sky crane" system to a soft landing—wheels down—on the surface of Mars.[77]^[78][79][80] After the rover touched down it waited 2 seconds to confirm that it was on solid ground then fired several pyrotechnic fasteners activating cable cutters on the bridle to free itself from the spacecraft descent stage. The descent stage then flew away to a crash landing, and the rover prepared itself to begin the science portion of the mission.^[81]

Daily operations

On April 16, 2020, the rover is now 13.66 miles away from its landing site.

Communication with the rover is not instantaneous. There is a delay in transmitting commands to the rover, and there is a delay receiving imagery back from the rover. Depending on the distance between Earth and Mars, the delay is between 4 to 24 minutes, and averages 14 minutes. As a result, navigation is done by sending a command such as "drive forward X distance" or "drive toward X place", and the rover will use its cameras and computers to drive to those locations autonomously.

Scientific instruments

The general sample analysis strategy begins with high-resolution cameras to look for features of interest. If a particular surface is of interest, Curiosity can vaporize a small portion of it with an infrared laser and examine the resulting spectra signature to query the rock's elemental composition. If that signature is intriguing, the rover uses its long arm to swing over a

In total, the rover carries 17 cameras: HazCams (8), NavCams (4), MastCams (2), MAHLI (1), MARDI (1), and ChemCam (1).[91]

Mast Camera (MastCam)

The MastCam system provides multiple spectra and

One MastCam camera is the Medium Angle Camera (MAC), which has a 34 mm (1.3 in) focal length, a 15° field of view, and can yield 22 cm/pixel (8.7 in/pixel) scale at 1 km (0.62 mi). The other camera in the MastCam is the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), which has a 100 mm (3.9 in) focal length, a 5.1° field of view, and can yield 7.4 cm/pixel (2.9 in/pixel) scale at 1 km (0.62 mi).^[87] Malin also developed a pair of MastCams with zoom lenses,^[93] 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.^[94] However, the improved zoom version was selected to be incorporated on the upcoming Mars 2020 mission as Mastcam-Z.^[95]

Each camera has eight gigabytes of flash memory, which is capable of storing over 5,500 raw images, and can apply real time

ChemCam is a suite of two remote sensing instruments combined as one: a

ChemCam has the ability to record up to 6,144 different wavelengths of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light.^[102] Detection of the ball of luminous plasma is done in the visible, near-UV and near-infrared ranges, between 240 nm and 800 nm.^[96] The first initial laser testing of the ChemCam by Curiosity on Mars was performed on a rock, N165 ("Coronation" rock), near Bradbury Landing on August 19, 2012.^{[103][104][105]} The ChemCam team expects to take approximately one dozen compositional measurements of rocks per day.^[106]

Using the same collection optics, the RMI provides context images of the LIBS analysis spots. The RMI resolves 1 mm (0.039 in) objects at 10 m (33 ft) distance, and has a field of view covering 20 cm (7.9 in) at that distance.^[96]

Navigation cameras (navcams)

The rover has two pairs of black and white

REMS comprises instruments to measure the Mars environment: humidity, pressure, temperatures, wind speeds, and ultraviolet radiation.^[110] It is a meteorological package that includes an ultraviolet sensor provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. The investigative team is led by Javier Gómez-Elvira of the Spanish Astrobiology Center and includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute as a partner.^[111][112] All sensors are located around three elements: two booms attached to the rover's mast, the Ultraviolet Sensor (UVS) assembly located on the rover top deck, and the Instrument Control Unit (ICU) inside the rover body. REMS provides new clues about the Martian general circulation, micro scale weather systems, local hydrological cycle, destructive potential of UV radiation, and subsurface habitability based on ground-atmosphere interaction.^[111]

Hazard avoidance cameras (hazcams)

The rover has four pairs of black and white navigation cameras called hazcams, two pairs in the front and two pairs in the back.^[107][113] They are used for autonomous hazard avoidance during rover drives and for safe positioning of the robotic arm on rocks and soils.^[113] Each camera in a pair is hardlinked to one of two identical main computers for redundancy; only four out of the eight cameras are in use at any one time. The cameras use visible light to capture stereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) imagery.^[113] The cameras have a 120° field of view and map the terrain at up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in front of the rover.^[113] This imagery safeguards against the rover crashing into unexpected obstacles, and works in tandem with software that allows the rover to make its own safety choices.^[113]

Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)

Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)

Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)

MAHLI is a camera on the rover's robotic arm, and acquires microscopic images of rock and soil. MAHLI can take

The APXS instrument irradiates samples with

Curiosity's CheMin Spectrometer on Mars (September 11, 2012), with sample inlet seen closed and open.

CheMin is the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray powder diffraction and fluorescence instrument.^[120] CheMin is one of four spectrometers. It can identify and quantify the abundance of the minerals on Mars. It was developed by David Blake at NASA Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,^[121] and won the 2013 NASA Government Invention of the year award.^[122] The rover can drill samples from rocks and the resulting fine powder is poured into the instrument via a sample inlet tube on the top of the vehicle. A beam of X-rays is then directed at the powder and the crystal structure of the minerals deflects it at characteristic angles, allowing scientists to identify the minerals being analyzed.^[123]

On October 17, 2012, at "Rocknest", the first X-ray diffraction analysis of Martian soil was performed. The results revealed the presence of several minerals, including feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine, and suggested that the Martian soil in the sample was similar to the "weathered basaltic soils" of Hawaiian volcanoes.^[119] The paragonetic tephra from a Hawaiian cinder cone has been mined to create Martian regolith simulant for researchers to use since 1998.^[124][125]

Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)

First night-time pictures on Mars (white-light left/UV right) (Curiosity viewing Sayunei rock, January 22, 2013)

The SAM instrument suite analyzes

First use of Curiosity's Dust Removal Tool (DRT) (January 6, 2013); Ekwir_1 rock before/after cleaning (left) and closeup (right)

The Dust Removal Tool (DRT) is a motorized, wire-bristle brush on the turret at the end of Curiosity's arm. The DRT was first used on a rock target named Ekwir_1 on January 6, 2013. Honeybee Robotics built the DRT.^[131]

Radiation assessment detector (RAD)

The role of the RAD instrument is to characterize the broad spectrum of radiation environment found inside the spacecraft during the cruise phase and while on Mars. These measurements have never been done before from the inside of a spacecraft in interplanetary space. Its primary purpose is to determine the viability and shielding needs for potential human explorers, as well as to characterize the radiation environment on the surface of Mars, which it started doing immediately after MSL landed in August 2012.

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.^[134] The instrument consists of the detector element (DE) and a 14.1 MeV pulsing neutron generator (PNG). The die-away time of neutrons is measured by the DE after each neutron pulse from the PNG. DAN was provided by the

MARDI was fixed to the lower front left corner of the body of Curiosity. During the descent to the Martian surface, MARDI took color images at 1600×1200 pixels with a 1.3-millisecond exposure time starting at distances of about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) to near 5 m (16 ft) from the ground, at a rate of four

First use of Curiosity's scooper as it sifts a load of sand at Rocknest (October 7, 2012)

The rover has a 2.1 m (6.9 ft) long

Two of the five devices are in-situ or contact instruments known as the X-ray spectrometer (APXS), and the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI camera). 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.^[141][143] The diameter of the hole in a rock after drilling is 1.6 cm (0.63 in) and up to 5 cm (2.0 in) deep.^[142][145] The drill carries two spare bits.^[145][146] 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.^[142]

Since early 2015 the percussive mechanism in the drill that helps chisel into rock has had an intermittent electrical short.^[147] On December 1, 2016, the motor inside the drill caused a malfunction that prevented the rover from moving its robotic arm and driving to another location.^[148] The fault was isolated to the drill feed brake,^[149] and internal debris is suspected of causing the problem.^[147] By December 9, driving and robotic arm operations were cleared to continue, but drilling remained suspended indefinitely.^[150] The Curiosity team continued to perform diagnostics and testing on the drill mechanism throughout 2017,^[151] and resumed drilling operations on May 22, 2018.^[152]

Media, cultural impact and legacy

Live video showing the first footage from the surface of Mars was available at

On August 13, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama, calling from aboard Air Force One to congratulate the Curiosity team, said, "You guys are examples of American know-how and ingenuity. It's really an amazing accomplishment."^[153] (Video (07:20))

U.S. flag on Mars

Plaque of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's signatures on Mars

Scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, California, viewed the CheMin instrument aboard Curiosity as a potentially valuable means to examine ancient works of art without damaging them. Until recently, only a few instruments were available to determine the composition without cutting out physical samples large enough to potentially damage the artifacts. CheMin directs a beam of X-rays at particles as small as 400 micrometers (0.016 in)^[159] and reads the radiation scattered back to determine the composition of the artifact in minutes. Engineers created a smaller, portable version named the X-Duetto. Fitting into a few briefcase-sized boxes, it can examine objects on site, while preserving their physical integrity. It is now being used by Getty scientists to analyze a large collection of museum antiques and the Roman ruins of Herculaneum, Italy.^[160]

Prior to the landing, NASA and

NASA gave the general public the opportunity from 2009 until 2011 to submit their names to be sent to Mars. More than 1.2 million people from the international community participated, and their names were etched into silicon using an electron-beam machine used for fabricating micro devices at JPL, and this plaque is now installed on the deck of Curiosity.^[162] In keeping with a 40-year tradition, a plaque with the signatures of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden was also installed. Elsewhere on the rover is the autograph of Clara Ma, the 12-year-old girl from Kansas who gave Curiosity its name in an essay contest, writing in part that "curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives."^[163]

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. This was also the first time music was transmitted between two planets.^[164]

On June 24, 2014, Curiosity completed a

On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover mission landing, and related exploratory accomplishments, on the planet Mars.^[18][19] (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.^{[167][168][169]}

Images

Descent of Curiosity (video-02:26; August 6, 2012)

Interactive 3D model of the rover (with extended arm)

Components of Curiosity

• 
  Mast head with ChemCam, MastCam-34, MastCam-100, NavCam.
• 
  One of the six wheels on Curiosity
• 
  High-gain (right) and low-gain (left) antennas
• 
  UV sensor

Orbital images

• 
  Curiosity descending under its parachute (August 6, 2012; MRO/HiRISE).
• 
  Curiosity's parachute flapping in Martian wind (August 12, 2012 to January 13, 2013; MRO).
• 
  Gale crater - surface materials (false colors; THEMIS; 2001 Mars Odyssey).
• 
  Curiosity's landing site is on

  Mount Sharp

  (north is down).
• 
  Mount Sharp

  rises from the middle of Gale; the green dot marks Curiosity's landing site (north is down).
• 
  Green dot is Curiosity's landing site; upper blue is

  Mount Sharp

  .
• 
  Curiosity's

  landing ellipse

  . Quad 51, called Yellowknife, marks the area where Curiosity actually landed.
• 
  Quad 51, a 1-mile-by-1-mile section of the crater Gale - Curiosity landing site is noted.
• 
  MSL debris field - parachute landed 615 m from Curiosity (3-D: rover & parachute) (August 17, 2012; MRO).
• 
  Curiosity's landing site, Bradbury Landing, as seen by MRO/HiRISE (August 14, 2012)
• 
  Curiosity's first tracks viewed by MRO/HiRISE (September 6, 2012)
• 
  First-year and first-mile map of Curiosity's traverse on Mars (August 1, 2013) (3-D).

Rover images

• 
  Ejected heat shield as viewed by Curiosity descending to Martian surface (August 6, 2012).
• 
  Curiosity's first image after landing (August 6, 2012). The rover's wheel can be seen.
• 
  Curiosity's first image after landing (without clear dust cover, August 6, 2012)
• 
  Curiosity landed on August 6, 2012 near the base of

  Aeolis Mons (or "Mount Sharp")^[170]
• 
  Curiosity's first color image of the Martian landscape, taken by MAHLI (August 6, 2012)
• 
  Curiosity's self-portrait - with closed dust cover (September 7, 2012).
• 
  Curiosity's self-portrait (September 7, 2012; color-corrected).
• 
  Calibration target of MAHLI (September 9, 2012; alternate 3-D version)
• 
  U.S. Lincoln penny on Mars (Curiosity; September 10, 2012)
  (3-D; October 2, 2013).
• 
  U.S. Lincoln penny on Mars (Curiosity; September 4, 2018)
• 
  Mount Sharp is visible in the background (MAHLI

  , September 9, 2012).
• 
  Curiosity's tracks on first test drive (August 22, 2012), after parking 6 m (20 ft) from original landing site^[9]
• 
  Comparison of

  Aeolis Mons

  on Mars (August 23, 2012)
• 
  Curiosity's view of

  Aeolis Mons (August 9, 2012; white-balanced image

  )
• 
  Layers at the base of

  Aeolis Mons

  . The dark rock in inset is the same size as Curiosity.

Self-portraits

Curiosity rover on Mount Sharp on Mars — self-portraits

"Rocknest"
(Oct2012)

"JohnKlein"
(May2013)

"Windjana"
(May2014)

"Mojave"
(Jan2015)

"Buckskin"
(Aug2015)

"BigSky"
(Oct2015)

"Namib"
(Jan 2016)

"Murray"
(Sep2016)

"VeraRubin"
(Jan2018)

"DustStorm"
(Jun2018)

"VeraRubin"
(Jan2019)

"Aberlady"
(May2019)

"GlenEtive"
(Oct2019)

Wide images

Curiosity's first 360° color panorama image (August 8, 2012)^[170][171]

Curiosity's view from Rocknest looking east toward Point Lake (center) on the way to Glenelg (November 26, 2012; white balanced; raw color version)

Curiosity's view of "Mount Sharp" (September 9, 2015)

Curiosity's view of Glen Torridon near Mount Sharp, the rover's highest-resolution 360° panoramic image of over 1.8 billion pixels (at full size) from over 1000 photos taken between November 24 and December 1, 2019

Beagle 2

Curiosity ※

Deep Space 2

Rosalind Franklin ⁂

InSight

Mars 2

Mars 3

Mars 6

Mars Polar Lander ↓

Opportunity

Perseverance ※

Phoenix

Schiaparelli EDM

Sojourner

Spirit

Zhurong

Viking 1

Viking 2

See also

Template:Wikipedia books

References

External links

Look up Curiosity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curiosity rover and Photos by the Curiosity rover.

• Curiosity Rover - Home Page - NASA/JPL
• MSL - NASA Updates - *LIVE* TBA Schedule (NASA-TV) (NASA-Audio)
• The search for life on Mars & elsewhere in the Solar System: Curiosity update - Video lecture by Christopher P. McKay
• MSL - Curiosity Design and Mars Landing - PBS Nova (2012-11-14) - Video (53:06)
• MSL - "Curiosity 'StreetView'" (Sol 2 - 2012-08-08) - NASA/JPL - 360° Panorama
• MSL - Curiosity Rover - Learn About Curiosity - NASA/JPL
• MSL - Curiosity Rover - Virtual Tour - NASA/JPL
• MSL - NASA Image Gallery
• Weather Reports from the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)
• Curiosity on X
• MSL - NASA Update - AGU Conference (2012-12-03) Video (70:13)
• Panorama (via Universe Today)

Beagle 2

Curiosity ※

Deep Space 2

Rosalind Franklin ⁂

InSight

Mars 2

Mars 3

Mars 6

Mars Polar Lander ↓

Opportunity

Perseverance ※

Phoenix

Schiaparelli EDM

Sojourner

Spirit

Zhurong

Viking 1

Viking 2