The Curiosity rover carries 10 scientific instruments. Together, they let the Mars Science Laboratory examine rocks, soil, atmosphere, radiation, weather, and the planet's geological history.
Its imaging and remote-sensing tools include Mastcam, ChemCam, and MARDI. Mastcam takes color images, ChemCam uses a laser to study the composition of distant targets, and MARDI recorded the terrain during the rover's descent. The rover also carries MAHLI, a close-up camera mounted on its robotic arm.
Several instruments analyze materials directly. APXS measures elemental composition, CheMin identifies minerals in powdered rock, and SAM studies gases and organic compounds. DAN searches for hydrogen beneath the surface, while RAD measures radiation. REMS records local weather, including temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and ultraviolet radiation.
The number can seem confusing because Curiosity also has 17 individual cameras, including navigation and hazard cameras. Those cameras are components of the rover's broader systems; they are not counted as 17 separate scientific instruments. The standard mission-payload count is 10.