Weighing as much as a small car, a rover named Curiosity rolls quietly
around Mars. Scientific instruments pack its body and cluster at the end
of a mechanical arm. An arrangement of lenses and instruments tops its
mast, like a face. To the many NASA workers involved in Curiosity's
mission on Mars, the rover is not simply a robot, but an astronaut
bravely exploring an alien place. Curiosity's instruments collect data
and its cameras take images of the Mars landscape, including
self-portraits, in vivid color and detail. As it roams and explores,
Curiosity will help find the answers to such age-old questions as has
there ever been life on Mars? Could there be one day?