Mars rover Curiosity will see red planet like never before This
illustration depicts the moment immediately after the Curiosity
rover touches down on the Red Planet. / NASA (Space.com) The
huge NASA rover slated to land on Mars Sunday night (Aug. 5) is
expected to give scientists and laypeople alike some amazing
views of the Red Planet. The 1-ton Curiosity rover, the heart of
NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission, will try to
determine if Earth's neighbor is, or ever was, capable of
supporting microbial life. To help address this question, the
six-wheeled robot is carrying 10 science instruments -- and a
wealth of high-tech camera gear. Like its older Mars rover
siblings Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity comes equipped with
cameras mounted on a head-like stalk (called the Remote Sensing
Mast, or RSM), providing a point of view similar to what a
person might experience. Unlike previous rovers, however,
Curiosity's imaging system -- called Mastcam -- has features
that will offer a whole new look a