NASA may not be sending up manned shuttles anymore, but that doesn’t mean we’re done exploring the solar system—not by a long shot. On August 5th, the space agency’s new flagship rover is expected to land on Mars as part of an unprecedented search for traces of life on the Red Planet.
You can ascertain the rover’s importance simply by its size. This thing is huge compared to NASA’s previous explorers, Spirit and Opportunity. Curiosity measures 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, and seven feet tall—taller than the average NBA Center—weighing a hefty 2000 pounds. NASA’s previous pair weighed just 408 pounds apiece. Tack on the added reach of Curiosity’s seven-foot long manipulation arm and the rover has roughly a two-story vertical reach. Not that there are many two-story-tall objects around the rover’s planned landing site but a good ability to have, nonetheless.