NASA says its next generation Mars rover, Curiosity, will feature X-ray equipment that will let it more rapidly identify areas on the red planet that may have supported life.
The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument inside the Curiosity which should launch as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission in 2011 and land on the red planet by late 2012, will identify the minerals in samples of powdered rock or soil that the rover's robotic arm will deliver to an input funnel.
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