7 Tools Curiosity Will Use on Mars

It's big as a car, powered by a nuke, armed with a laser, and ready to investigate Mars. Here's how the Mars Science Lab and its Curiosity rover will get its work done.

By Joe Pappalardo
August 9, 2012 5:00 PM Text Size: A . A . A
On August 6, the world watched as NASA landed its Mars Science Lab, called Curiosity, into a crater on Mars. The most advanced robot ever to visit another planet, Curiosity is crammed with instruments working together to puzzle through the question of whether life existed on Mars.

"As humans, our senses are very integrated," says Pamela Conrad, MSL deputy principal investigator of sample analysis. "We want to extend our senses to Mars. So we have a tactile gripper, a nose to sniff around, and we have lots of eyes." Here are a few of the most important sensors on Curiosity, and the questions they hope to answer.

How will scientists know which rocks to investigate?

Tool: ChemCam

The only thing better than a robot on Mars is a robot on Mars armed with a laser. ChemCam can, from a distance, vaporize tiny bits of rock and analyze the elemental composition of the super-hot plasma that results. An onboard spectrograph provides unprecedented detail about the target's chemical makeup. That information will guide researchers to decide whether to employ the rover's other instruments.

How much ice is there under Mars' surface?

Tool: Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN)

DAN is a particle-beam generator that can detect subsurface water ice. Shot from 2.5 feet off the ground, the beam cuts as deep as 6 feet beneath the surface. If it hits water ice, the beam's hydrogen atoms will be absorbed; the way neutrons reflect back to the surface will tell scientists how much ice is present. The Russian government funded this instrument.

How long did water exist on the surface of Mars?

Tool: CheMin

Over time, water forms minerals. CheMin directly tests samples with X-ray diffraction to confirm the presence of water-related relics such as clay deposits and sulfate salts. To do it, Curiosity's robotic arm drops samples into an X-ray chamber; the way photons react to the sample tells a lot about its composition. The process can take 10 hours.

What's with reports of methane on Mars?

Tool: Sample Analysis at Mars' (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer

Scientists on Earth claim to have detected the organic molecule methane on Mars; MSL aims to confirm if this claim is accurate by testing gas on the planet. This tech identifies gases by the way they vibrate when struck by a laser. Conrad says the presence of methane "tells us that at least some type of organic chemistry can occur in the Martian environment." If organic molecules can form on Mars, as they do on Earth, then that would support the possibility of life on Mars. The spectrometer will also be used to seek other isotopes.

Did Mars ever host life?

Tool: SAM's chromatograph

The atmosphere is not the only place Curiosity will seek signs of past Martian life. The gas chromatograph will heat soil and rock samples until they vaporize, then separate the resulting gases for analysis. This could produce proof of the presence of organic compounds—essential for life to form—trapped in rock.

How dangerous is the surface of Mars for life?

Tool: Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)

This detector has been turned on for 221 days of the trip and will try to determine how much radiation is bathing the planet. It's useful to know for investigating how habitable Mars would have been for potential past microbes—and how hospitable it would be to future human residents.

How did Martian rocks form?

Tool: Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)

Located on the rover's robotic arm, MAHLI is used to gain closeup views of interesting rocks. (Most geology is done visually. At least on other planets.)

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