Trips to new places can be fun, but imagine a seven month journey all alone to a place you have never seen.
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, also known as Curiosity, is currently doing just that. Curiosity is heading towards our neighbouring planet Mars, landing in early August.
The rover carries ten different sets of instruments to gather information about the area and send back to us – it even has a laser to burn rocks with!
Using an onboard miniature chemistry laboratory, Curiosity will test dozens of rock and soil samples it collects from the Martian surface.
Curiosity is the size of a small car, making it the largest rover sent to Mars, and can travel further in one day than any rover before it. With six wheels and special power sources, Curiosity will roam Mars for 23 months to explore the Gale crater for signs of life.
Image credit: NASA
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