Nicknamed Curiosity and scheduled for launch, the rover has a 7-foot arm tipped with a jackhammer and a laser to break through the Martian red rock. What really makes it stand out: It can analyze rocks and soil with unprecedented accuracy.
This artist's concept features NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, a mobile robot for investigating Mars' past or present ability to sustain microbial life. Curiosity will land near the Martian equator about 10:31 p.m., on August 5, 2012 in the late evening. In this picture, the rover examines a rock on Mars with a set of tools at the end of the rover's arm, which extends about 7 feet (2 meters).
This artist's concept depicts the rover Curiosity, of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, as it uses its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument to investigate the composition of a rock surface. REUTERS/ NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout
Ten feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall at its mast, Curiosity is about twice the size of previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity, weighs 1 ton and is loaded with 10 science instruments. Its formal name: Mars Science Laboratory, or MSL.
An engineering model of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is seen from the rear in a sandy, Mars-like environment named the Mars Yard at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California July 25, 2012. The real Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, is on its way to the Red Planet, with a planned arrival and landing on the evening of August 5 PDT, early morning August 6 EDT. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
hree of six 20 inch aluminum wheels are seen on an engineering model of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover as it navigates a sandy, Mars-like environment named the Mars Yard at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California July 25, 2012. The real Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, is on its way to the RedPlanet, with a planned arrival and landing on the evening of August 5 PDT, early morning August 6
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