Curiosity, NASA's super robotic rover, has been on the surface of Mars for about a week and a half.

The car-sized, nuclear-powered robotic rover is on what NASA hopes will be at least a two-year mission. It is equipped with 10 scientific instruments and offers the most advanced payload of scientific gear ever used on the surface of Mars, including chemistry instruments, environmental sensors and radiation monitors.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at , on or subscribe to . Her email address is .

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in Computerworld's Emerging Technologies Topic Center.