Planets and Moons  ID: 11058

Cruising With Curiosity

Story by Elizabeth Zubritsky | Visualizations by Chris Smith Released on August 2, 2012
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No lab coat is required for this robotic chemist when it goes to work on Mars.
The Mars of today is desolate and cold, but has the planet ever been hospitable enough for life? NASA sent its Curiosity rover there to find out. Using a suite of instruments, Curiosity will explore the planet's habitability, past and present. Part of its payload consists of a trio of chemistry tools called SAM, short for Sample Analysis at Mars. SAM's job is to analyze samples scooped or drilled from the surface and "sniff" the Martian air for chemical clues about the environment. Roughly the size of a microwave oven, SAM can do the work of an entire chemistry lab and is the most advanced instrument of its kind ever sent to another planet. Watch the videos to learn more about SAM and see it in action.
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Watch how Curiosity will cruise around Mars and gather samples for inspection.
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What is SAM? Watch this video to learn more.
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Curiosity's robotic arm enables it to explore hard-to-reach objects.
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A drill mounted on the arm gives Curiosity the ability to collect subsurface samples.
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Once a sample is collected, it is delivered to SAM's test chambers and other instruments for analysis.
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Rocks and soils can be heated to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, turning them into gases that are further analyzed by SAM's instruments.
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Analysis of material in gas form can reveal information about the identity of molecules present in each sample.
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The SAM instrument seen inside a clean room at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center prior to installation aboard Curiosity.

For More Information

NASA.gov

Story Credits

Lead Visualizer/Animator:
Chris Smith (HTSI)

Video Editor:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Producer:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Lead Writer:
Elizabeth Zubritsky (ADNET)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Curiosity animation and illustrations courtesy of NASA/JPL

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11058

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons