NASA Curiosity Rover

There's more at: http://www.jpl.nasa...ience-laboratory.pdf

Fundamentally Curiosity is looking for evidence that the planet could have, (or had in the past) supported life. In particular: A suite of instruments named Sample Analysis at Mars will analyze samples of material collected and delivered by the rover’s arm. It includes a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, and a tunable laser spectrometer with combined capabilities to identify a wide range of organic (carbon-containing) compounds and determine the ratios of different isotopes of key elements. Isotope ratios are clues to understanding the history of Mars’ atmosphere and water.