NASA Talk :: "Curiosity Self Portrait"

Retrieved by Pat Darnell  |  Dec 31, 2012  |  Bryan TX

[Picture LINK]

Curiosity Self-Portrait, Wide View
On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover.

The mosaic shows the rover at "Rocknest," the spot in Gale Crater where the mission's first scoop sampling took place. Four scoop scars can be seen in the regolith in front of the rover. A fifth scoop was collected later.

Self-portraits like this one document the state of the rover and allow mission engineers to track changes over time, such as dust accumulation and wheel wear. Due to its location on the end of the robotic arm, only MAHLI (among the rover's 17 cameras) is able to image some parts of the craft, including the port-side wheels.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Page Last Updated: December 27, 2012
Page Editor: Sarah Loff
NASA Official: Brian Dunbar


_________________Reference
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2417.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/716063main_whatsup20130101-320.mp4