NASA ’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ( MRO ) has enchant what ’s believed to be the first orbital effigy of the Curiosity roamer “ on the move . ”
The remarkable exposure , heighten to take out the details , distinctly show the tracks create by Curiosity ’s six wheels as it rolls across the red planet ’s devoid landscape , with a tiny pinpoint denoting the wanderer itself .
Those track ? That’s@MarsCuriosityon the move . This simulacrum was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter , which has drop the last two decades reckon for sign that ancient water system flowed on Mars from orbit . On the undercoat , Curiosity has been travail for clew since 2012.pic.twitter.com/8ioEXBvR8R
“ NASA ’s Curiosity Mars rover has never been camera shy , having been seen in selfies and figure of speech taken from blank . But on February 28 … Curiosity was capture in what is believe to be the first orbital image of the rover mid - force across the carmine satellite . ” NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) , which is overseeing the Curiosity missionary post , tell in a stake .
The double was strike by the MRO ’s HiRISE ( High - Resolution Imaging Science Experiment ) television camera , with the running calculated to be about 1,050 foot ( 320 meters ) in length . Curiosity is shown close to the base of a steep slope , which JPL says the bird of passage has since ascend . The vehicle , which arrive on Mars in 2012 , drives using a combination of outback commands from Earth and onboard autonomy , with JPL engineer working alongside scientists to design each day ’s trek .
NASA said the tracks will probably continue visible “ for months ” before martian nothingness erase them .
“ They stage around 11 drive starting on February 2 as Curiosity truck along at a top speed of 0.1 miles per hour ( 0.16 kph ) from Gediz Vallis epithelial duct on the journey to its next skill occlusive , ” JPL said .
NASA ’s bird of passage has been spending its time studying whether Mars ever had environmental conditionssuitable for microbic biography . It ’s also been gathering data point on the major planet ’s climate and geology , and break down the environs in training for succeeding crewed missions .
MRO orbit Mars at an altitude ranging from about 155 to 196 miles ( 250 to 315 kilometers ) , with its primary missionary post goal to study Mars ’ geology and climate , hunt for signs of water , and support other Mars missionary station by relaying data point and scouting potential landing sites for future missions .
peculiarity is n’t the only NASA rover trundling across the martian open . The more forward-looking Perseverance rover has been on the red planet since arriving there in a spectacular touchdown — captured on hi - res TV — in 2021 .
On a clear night , you’re able to look at Mars up until November . So the next time you tell apart it , pause for a moment to consider that on that removed satellite , NASA has a couple of rovers tootling about , execute science research dream up by humans all the style back here on Earth .
