Curiosity (rover) "Curiosity" comprised 23 percent of the mass of the "Mars Science Laboratory" (MSL) spacecraft, which had the sole mission of delivering the rover safely across space from Earth to a soft landing on the surface of Mars. The remaining mass of the MSL craft was discarded in the process of carrying out this task. The general sample analysis strategy begins with high-resolution cameras to look for features of interest. If a particular surface is of interest, "Curiosity" can vaporize a small portion of it with an infrared laser and examine the resulting spectra signature to query the rock's elemental composition.
Gliese 687 X-rays. Gliese 687 Gliese 687, or GJ 687 "(Gliese–Jahreiß 687)" is a red dwarf in the constellation Draco. This is one of the closest stars to the Sun and lies at an approximate distance of less than 15 light years. Even though it is close by, it has a magnitude of about 9, so it can only be seen through a moderately sized telescope. Gliese 687 has a high proper motion, advancing 1.304 arcseconds per year across the sky. It has a net relative velocity of about 39 km/s. It is known to have a Neptune-mass planet. Gliese 687 has