MCQ Detailed View

The Curiosity rover is a robotic space vehicle developed by NASA to explore the planet Mars. It was launched on November 26, 2011, aboard an Atlas V rocket and successfully landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, in a region called Gale Crater. The rover was designed as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission to study the planet’s surface and gather information about its geology and climate.

The main goal of Curiosity is to find out whether Mars has ever had the conditions necessary to support microbial life. It carries a wide range of scientific instruments to analyze rocks, soil, and the atmosphere of Mars. Using cameras, drills, spectrometers, and a radiation detector, it helps scientists understand the history of water on Mars and whether life could have existed there in the past.

Curiosity is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which converts heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. This allows the rover to operate day and night, even during dust storms, unlike solar-powered rovers that rely on sunlight. Over the years, Curiosity has traveled many kilometers, sending back thousands of images and valuable data about the Martian environment.

The other options — Diversity, Serenity, and Divinity — are not the names of NASA Mars rovers. NASA has launched other rovers, such as Spirit, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Sojourner, but Curiosity is the rover that has been continuously operating on Mars since 2012.

This MCQ falls under Everyday Science (General Science) because it relates to real-world space technology, planetary exploration, and scientific missions that expand human understanding of the solar system.