NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, to investigate Gale crater.
Curiosity arrived using a complex “sky crane” landing system that lowered the rover on cables before the descent stage flew away. Its destination, Gale crater, contains Mount Sharp, a layered central mountain that records changes in Martian environmental conditions. Curiosity’s landing site was chosen because orbital observations suggested that the crater once held water.
The rover’s instruments examine rocks, soil, atmosphere, and radiation. Curiosity found evidence that ancient Gale crater environments could have supported microbial life, including chemical ingredients and conditions considered potentially habitable. It was not sent to detect living organisms directly, and it does not cache samples for a later return mission.
That last point distinguishes Curiosity from Perseverance, which landed in Jezero crater in 2021 and collects sealed rock samples. Spirit and Opportunity were earlier NASA rovers that landed in 2004 and used solar power rather than Curiosity’s radioisotope power system.