Skip Navigation
menu

CURIOSITY IMAGES

Detector for CheMin

This charged couple device (CCD) is part of the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover.

October 30, 2012

This charged couple device (CCD) is part of the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover. When CheMin directs X-rays at a sample of soil, this imager, which is the size of a postage stamp, detects both the position and energy of each X-ray photon. The technology in this CCD was originally developed by NASA and has become widely used in commercial digital cameras.

Credits

NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech

ENLARGE

Related

This view of a rock called "Rocknest 3" combines two images taken by the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity and indicates five spots where ChemCam had hit th...
More
This view of a rock called "Rocknest 3" combines two images taken by the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity and indicates five spots where ChemCam had hit the rock with laser pulses to check its composition.
Mars Rock 'Rocknest 3' Imaged by Curiosity's ChemCam
This graphic tracks the maximum relative humidity and the temperature at which that maximum occurred each Martian day, or sol, for about one-fourth of a Martian year, as measured by the Remote Envi...
More
This graphic tracks the maximum relative humidity and the temperature at which that maximum occurred each Martian day, or sol, for about one-fourth of a Martian year, as measured by the Remote Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
Humidity in Gale Crater: Scant and Variable
These images from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover indicate similarly dark material, but with very different chemistries, in mineral veins at "Garden City."
More
These images from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover indicate similarly dark material, but with very different chemistries, in mineral veins at "Garden City."
Thick, Dark Veins at 'Garden City,' Mars
There's no wall these women can't climb. Pictured here are Jennifer Trosper (front), Micki Hurtado (center), and Nagin Cox (back).
More
There's no wall these women can't climb. Pictured here are Jennifer Trosper (front), Micki Hurtado (center), and Nagin Cox (back).
Climbing to New Heights of Experience
The descent stage of NASA's Mars Sciecnce Laboratory spacecraft is being lifted during assembly of the spacecraft in this photograph taken inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Ke...
More
The descent stage of NASA's Mars Sciecnce Laboratory spacecraft is being lifted during assembly of the spacecraft in this photograph taken inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Mars Science Laboratory Descent Stage
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took this 360-degree panorama at a drill site nicknamed “Avanavero” on June 20, 2022, the 3,509th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. In its decade on the Red Planet, t...
More
Panorama is made up of 127 individual images taken on June 20, 2022 by NASA'S Curiosity Mars rover.
Curiosity's 360-Degree Panorama of 'Avanavero' Drill Site
This image show the body of the Mars Science Laboratory rover with the tubes from the rover's 'radiator' system on the outsideand inside of the body.
More
This image show the body of the Mars Science Laboratory rover with the tubes from the rover's 'radiator' system on the outsideand inside of the body.
Keeping It Cool (...or Warm)
Five years since it landed near Mount Sharp on Mars in August 2017 and nearly three years since reaching the base of the mountain, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is climbing toward multiple layers of ...
More
Five years since it landed near Mount Sharp on Mars in August 2017 and nearly three years since reaching the base of the mountain, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is climbing toward multiple layers of Mount Sharp visible in this view from the rover's Mast Camera.
More to Explore in Five-Year-Old Mars Rover's Future
During pre-flight testing, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took this image of the MAHLI calibration target from a distance of 3.94 inches (10 centimeters) aw...
More
During pre-flight testing, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took this image of the MAHLI calibration target from a distance of 3.94 inches (10 centimeters) away from the target.
Calibration Target as Seen by Mars Hand Lens Imager
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, right, and Erisa Hines of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, try out the Microsoft Hololens mixed reality headset during a preview of "Destin...
More
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, right, and Erisa Hines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, try out the Microsoft Hololens mixed reality headset during a preview of "Destination: Mars" at Kennedy Space Center visitor complex in Florida.
"Destination: Mars" experience at the Kennedy Space Center
Landing a spacecraft on Mars is one of the trickiest things we do. This 60-second video explains how it's done, and the three landing systems we use at the Red Planet.
More
Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?
Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has used the drill on its robotic arm to take 32 rock samples to date. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera on the end of the robotic arm, provided the images in ...
More
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has used the drill on its robotic arm to take 32 rock samples to date. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera on the end of the robotic arm, provided the images in this mosaic.
Curiosity's 32 Drill Holes
Download a PDF of the Mars Science Laboratory Landing Press Kit.
More
MSL landing press kit
Mars Science Laboratory Landing Press Kit
This view of the three left wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity'...
More
This view of the three left wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012).
Wheels and a Destination
How samples are delivered and then tested in the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on the Mars Curiosity rover. (No audio)
More
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on Mars Curiosity
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on Mars Curiosity
Scientist Jennifer Eigenbrode used a soil simulant — material that closely resembles material found on the martian surface — to test the effectiveness of a sample-preparation method that was added ...
More
Image of Jennifer Eigenbrode using a soil simulant
Scientist Jennifer Eigenbrode using a soil simulant for testing
The 16 frames in this time-lapse movie show how repeated laser shots from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity cause a pit to form at the target point in Mar...
More
The 16 frames in this time-lapse movie show how repeated laser shots from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity cause a pit to form at the target point in Martian soil.
Pitting in Martian Soil During Repeated Laser Shots From Mars Rover
Engineers put the rover through spin tests to ensure smooth sailing in space.
More
Building Curiosity: Going For A Spin
Building Curiosity: Going For A Spin
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover spotted these finger-like rocks with its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on May 15, 2022. These likely formed as groundwater trickled through rock in the ancient past, depositi...
More
This image shows finger-like, eroded rock formations on Mount Sharp and was taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera on May 15, 2022 or sol 3474.
Curiosity Spots Finger-Like Rocks
The Curiosity rover mission to Mars is one of NASA's most complex and incredible successes. This 45-second trailer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory takes you from designing and testing the rover ...
More
Dare Mighty Things
Dare Mighty Things
Pictured here are a few of the women working on Mars with the Curiosity test rover model in the background. The image was taken in the "Mars Yard" where the ground test model of the Curiosity rover...
More
Pictured here are a few of the women working on Mars with the Curiosity test rover model in the background. The image was taken in the "Mars Yard" where the ground test model of the Curiosity rover is housed.
Hanging Out with the Test Rover
Stitched together from 28 images, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this view from "Greenheugh Pediment" on April 9, 2020, the 2,729th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. In the foreground is t...
More
Curiosity Mars rover captured this view from "Greenheugh Pediment." In the foreground is the pediment's sandstone cap. At center is the "clay-bearing unit"; the floor of Gale Crater is in the distance.
Curiosity's View From the Top of the 'Greenheugh Pediment'
This image shows two engineers aiming the cannon that will fire the tightly packed parachute into the wind tunnel.
More
This image shows two engineers aiming the cannon that will fire the tightly packed parachute into the wind tunnel.
No Speed Limit on Mars
After 2 years and nearly 9 kilometers of driving, NASA's Mars Curiosity has arrived at the base of Mount Sharp.
More
We made it! Curiosity reaches Mount Sharp
We made it! Curiosity reaches Mount Sharp
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity cut a wheel scuff mark into a wind-formed ripple at the "Rocknest" site to give researchers a better opportunity to examine the particle-size distribution of the materia...
More
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity cut a wheel scuff mark into a wind-formed ripple at the "Rocknest" site to give researchers a better opportunity to examine the particle-size distribution of the material forming the ripple.
Wheel Scuff Mark at 'Rocknest'

You Might Also Like

The agency is asking the NASA community to work together to develop a revised plan that leverages innovation and proven technology.
More
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
NASA has proven powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds, just as the Wright brothers proved it was possible on Earth.
More
After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends
After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends
The agency established the board in May 2023 to evaluate the technical, cost, and schedule plans prior to confirmation of the mission’s design.
More
NASA Releases Independent Review's Mars Sample Return Report
NASA Releases Independent Review's Mars Sample Return Report
A pair of quakes in 2021 sent seismic waves deep into the Red Planet’s core, giving scientists the best data yet on its size and composition.
More
NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core
NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core
Ten sample tubes, capturing an amazing variety of Martian geology, have been deposited on Mars’ surface so they could be studied on Earth in the future.
More
NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot
NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot
Filled with rock, the sample tube will be one of 10 forming a depot of tubes that could be considered for a journey to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign.
More
NASA's Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface
NASA's Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface