Curiosity Prepares to Move to a New Location

Curiosity Prepares to Move to a New Location
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Curiosity is certainly the most popular rover made by NASA.  The rover is already a part of history, holding several records that will take a while to beat.

NASA has used the data collected by Curiosity in order to compile an advanced model of the Red Planet’s geographical structure. Since the touchdown the rover has managed to explore almost 12 miles (or approximately 20 kilometers) of Martian surface.  While NASA is currently thinking about the next destination a ‘’selfie’’ of the rover was shot in order to highlight its current status.

In the picture we are able to see the rover in all of its glory, standing on the iconic red soil and looking at the camera with one of its units. This unit, which looks similar to a ‘’head’’, houses two of the most important sensors that are carried by the rover: The Mastcam and the Chemcam. A small dust storm is forming the far distance, contributing to a charming scene.

The image was generated with the help of the Mars Hand Lens Observer images. Over 57 high-quality images of Curiosity were shot and the final product is the result of a merger of individual images. The final image looks like selfies but it is obvious that this isn’t possible since the camera should have been held by a visible arm that is nowhere to be seen.

More than six years have passed since Curiosity managed to land on the planet. Some dust can be seen and the wheels have been visibly damaged by sharp stones that were encountered while traveling.

A significant amount of time was spent on exploring the latest site as Curiosity tried to drill through several rocks in order to acquire valuable samples. One of the holes is visible in the background, being located close to the rover.

The researchers are now aiming to extract a sample of clay that could hold significant information about the lakes that used to exist on the surface of Mars.


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I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

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