Mars' Curiosity Drills, Collects Samples, Red Planet To Host Life Forms Soon?

Mars Science Laboratory, including its rover centerpiece Curiosity , is considered as the most ambitious mission on Mars yet flown by NASA. The chief mission of the rover is to determine if the Red planet is, or was, satisfactory to support life. The rover also aims to provide more information regarding the Mars' environment.

Mars' Curiosity's size can hold a host of scientific experiments, as well as study and take photos of rocks within the reach of its arm. The rover's size is similar to that of a small SUV, and was designed by the NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to roll over objects that are blocking up to 25 inches. It can travel for 660 feet per day, while its power comes from the radioisotope thermoelectric generator that generates electricity from the radioactive decay heat of plutonium 238.   

The Mars Science Laboratory released the bottom part of its heat shield, under the parachute, in order to collect a radar fix and determine its altitude. The parachute may only slow down the MSL up to 20 mph, which is too fast for landing. To fix the problem, the engineers designed the assembly to stop the parachute and use the rockets for the last part of the landing sequence. The rover's decent was closely monitored by NASA personnel, and the news regarding its landing was immediately shared on social media as well as newspapers.

Curiosity has some tools to look for habitability, and one of these is an experiment which can bombard the surface with neutrons, and may slow down once hydrogen atoms are encountered, which is among the elements of water. Its 7-foot arm could get samples from the planet surface and then cook them in the rover, sniffing the gases and study them for some clues on how the soil and rocks were formed, according to CS Monitor.

Mars' Curiosity may also drill into every block and put a sample into the oven to gauge its composition. Researchers can later find out if the organics emerge which were not expected to be on the block. If so, the scientists can possibly find out if the organisms are from the Earth,  Space reported.