
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The rover is the most sophisticated that NASA has ever sent to Mars. It will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet's geology and climate, and collect rock/sediment samples for possible return to Earth. It is powered by heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity used to charge its two batteries.
Here's how to pick the right shovel, from the classic to the crack-jumper, back-saver or the plow.