While the Mars rover Curiosity explores the red planet, those of us here on Earth can see a replica of the vehicle in the lobby of ISTB 4. Curiosity weighs nearly 2,000 pounds including 180 pounds of scientific instruments. It is 9 feet, 6 inches long, nearly 9 feet wide and a little over 7 feet tall. The ASU replica matches the dimensions of the real thing except it weighs 450 pounds.
The Mars Rover is placed in the Greely Panorama, dedicated to the
memory of Professor Ronald Greeley (Aug. 25, 1939-Oct. 27, 2011). The 360˚ panorama shows the spectacular view from Greeley Haven, the 2011-2012 Martian winter resting spot for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The panorama is constructed from 817 separate images taken by the rover’s Panoramic Camera between Dec. 21, 2011 and May 8, 2012. The site’s informal name, bestowed by the science team for the Mars Exploration Rovers, is a tribute to the late Ronald Greeley, a geologist, science team member, and Regents’ Professor in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration.