Parts and functions of curiosity rover
"Legs":
Made of titanium tubing
Capable of rolling over rocks the size of one of its wheels
Wheels:
Made of aluminum, with cleats for traction and curved titanium springs for springy support.
20 inches (0.5 meters) in diameter.
One full turn of a wheel with no slippage is about 62 inches (157 centimeters) of driving.
Drill Bits:
Provides back-up drill bits
Head and Neck:
Give the rover a human-scale view through cameras and to allow it remote-sensing capabilities, seven feet from the ground.
Arm:
7 feet (2.1 meters), rotary actuators known as the shoulder azimuth joint, shoulder elevation joint, elbow joint, wrist and turret joint.
Hand: MAHLI, APXS, Sample Processing & Handling (SA/SPaH) subsystem: Powder Acquisition Drill System (PADS)
Dust Removal Tool (DRT). Collection and Handling for In-situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA)
Hazcams: Aid in autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance.
Image Size: 1024 X 1024 pixels Image Resolution: 2.1 milliradians per pixel
Focal Length: in focus about 4 inches (10 centimeters) to infinity Focal Ratio and Field of View: Fisheye lens with nd 124° square
Other: Each has a one-time-removable lens cover to shield from dust kicked up at landing
Organic Check Materials: Test for Earth-based Organics & Sample Integrity Location: front side of the rover "body"
Composition: bricks are porous amorphous silicon dioxide ceramic with 30% interconnected porosity, doped with a low concentration of 3-fluorophenanthrene and 1-fluoronapthalene. Each of the bricks is sealed in its own canister and under vacuum until it is drilled into on Mars.
Drill: Collect and Process Samples for Analysis Drill Type: Rotary Percussive Diameter of Drilled Hole: 0.63 inch (1.6 centimeters)
REMS: Weather Station
Measurements: autonomously record at least 5 minutes of data at 1 Hz each hour, every sol (Martian day), for all sensors (i.e., total baseline of two hours per sol); maximum of three hours of operation per sol allows a continuous block of monitoring time if desired
MARDI: Take pictures during descent through Martian atmosphere
HD Video: four color frames per second; close to 1,600 X 1,200 pixels per frame
Observation Tray: Place to Examine Soil and Powdered Rock Samples
Sundial: additional color calibration target and educational tool for Earth's students; message of good will from one generation of explorers to another
CheMin: Analyze Mineralogy/Chemical Composition, inside the Curiosity's body
Spectrometer Type: An X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument
High-gain Antenna: Transmitting or Receiving Data
Transmission Rates: 160 bits per second or faster to the Deep Space Network's 112-foot-diameter (34-meter-diameter) antennas or at 800 bits per second or faster to the Deep Space Network's 230-foot-diameter (70-meterdiameter)
UHF Antenna: Transmitting Data to Earth through Mars Orbiters
Radio Frequency: ultra-high frequency (UHF) band (about 400 megahertz)
Power Source: Provide power to the rover Location: Aft side of the rover.
Uses 10.6 pounds (4.8 kilograms) of plutonium dioxide as the source of the steady supply of heat
Electrical power produced: slightly over 100 watts
DAN: Search for Signs of Water Location: on the aft-port-side of the rover "body"
Capability: Measures subsurface hydrogen up to one meter (three feet) below the surface.
Sensitivity: Can detect water content as low as 1/10th of 1 percent
ChemCam: Analyze Chemical Composition
Components: Telescope: focuses laser and camera; Remote Micro-Imager: one of Curiosity's "eyes," captures detailed images of the area illuminated by the laser beam; Laser: vaporizes rock surfaces, creating a plasma of their component gases
Spectrometer: three spectrographs divide the plasma light into wavelengths for chemical analysis
Navcams: Aid in autonomous navigation
Image Resolution: 0.82 milliradians per pixel Focal Length: in focus from 20 inches (0.5 meter) to infinity
Focal Ratio and Field of View: fixed-aperture f/12 and 45° square; field of view is similar to a 37-mm lens on a 35mm camera
Mastcam: Color Stereo Imaging
Made of titanium tubing
Capable of rolling over rocks the size of one of its wheels
Wheels:
Made of aluminum, with cleats for traction and curved titanium springs for springy support.
20 inches (0.5 meters) in diameter.
One full turn of a wheel with no slippage is about 62 inches (157 centimeters) of driving.
Drill Bits:
Provides back-up drill bits
Head and Neck:
Give the rover a human-scale view through cameras and to allow it remote-sensing capabilities, seven feet from the ground.
Arm:
7 feet (2.1 meters), rotary actuators known as the shoulder azimuth joint, shoulder elevation joint, elbow joint, wrist and turret joint.
Hand: MAHLI, APXS, Sample Processing & Handling (SA/SPaH) subsystem: Powder Acquisition Drill System (PADS)
Dust Removal Tool (DRT). Collection and Handling for In-situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA)
Hazcams: Aid in autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance.
Image Size: 1024 X 1024 pixels Image Resolution: 2.1 milliradians per pixel
Focal Length: in focus about 4 inches (10 centimeters) to infinity Focal Ratio and Field of View: Fisheye lens with nd 124° square
Other: Each has a one-time-removable lens cover to shield from dust kicked up at landing
Organic Check Materials: Test for Earth-based Organics & Sample Integrity Location: front side of the rover "body"
Composition: bricks are porous amorphous silicon dioxide ceramic with 30% interconnected porosity, doped with a low concentration of 3-fluorophenanthrene and 1-fluoronapthalene. Each of the bricks is sealed in its own canister and under vacuum until it is drilled into on Mars.
Drill: Collect and Process Samples for Analysis Drill Type: Rotary Percussive Diameter of Drilled Hole: 0.63 inch (1.6 centimeters)
REMS: Weather Station
Measurements: autonomously record at least 5 minutes of data at 1 Hz each hour, every sol (Martian day), for all sensors (i.e., total baseline of two hours per sol); maximum of three hours of operation per sol allows a continuous block of monitoring time if desired
MARDI: Take pictures during descent through Martian atmosphere
HD Video: four color frames per second; close to 1,600 X 1,200 pixels per frame
Observation Tray: Place to Examine Soil and Powdered Rock Samples
Sundial: additional color calibration target and educational tool for Earth's students; message of good will from one generation of explorers to another
CheMin: Analyze Mineralogy/Chemical Composition, inside the Curiosity's body
Spectrometer Type: An X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument
High-gain Antenna: Transmitting or Receiving Data
Transmission Rates: 160 bits per second or faster to the Deep Space Network's 112-foot-diameter (34-meter-diameter) antennas or at 800 bits per second or faster to the Deep Space Network's 230-foot-diameter (70-meterdiameter)
UHF Antenna: Transmitting Data to Earth through Mars Orbiters
Radio Frequency: ultra-high frequency (UHF) band (about 400 megahertz)
Power Source: Provide power to the rover Location: Aft side of the rover.
Uses 10.6 pounds (4.8 kilograms) of plutonium dioxide as the source of the steady supply of heat
Electrical power produced: slightly over 100 watts
DAN: Search for Signs of Water Location: on the aft-port-side of the rover "body"
Capability: Measures subsurface hydrogen up to one meter (three feet) below the surface.
Sensitivity: Can detect water content as low as 1/10th of 1 percent
ChemCam: Analyze Chemical Composition
Components: Telescope: focuses laser and camera; Remote Micro-Imager: one of Curiosity's "eyes," captures detailed images of the area illuminated by the laser beam; Laser: vaporizes rock surfaces, creating a plasma of their component gases
Spectrometer: three spectrographs divide the plasma light into wavelengths for chemical analysis
Navcams: Aid in autonomous navigation
Image Resolution: 0.82 milliradians per pixel Focal Length: in focus from 20 inches (0.5 meter) to infinity
Focal Ratio and Field of View: fixed-aperture f/12 and 45° square; field of view is similar to a 37-mm lens on a 35mm camera
Mastcam: Color Stereo Imaging
Resource:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/learncuriosity/index-2.html
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/learncuriosity/index-2.html