NASA’s Curiosity Rover Takes Fantastic Selfie on Mars

At the beginning of the month (March), NASA’s brave Curiosity Mars rover started getting closer to a massive rock formation, dubbed “Mont Mercou” (a French reference).

Just 6 meters (20 feet) tall, the Martian structure was captured in a new selfie. The picture offers great details about the area and proves that Curiosity is an outstanding rover. Details about the event and more others are now available.

Here is what you need to know.

Selfie on Mars: a New Chapter Awaits

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured the incredible Mont Marcou and its new drill hole close to the rock sample, dubbed “Nontron” — this represents the mission’s 30^th sample so far.

The rover’s drill pulverized the sample before dripping it into tools inside the rover. Everything will get to scientists who can’t wait to examine the rock’s composition and find what other mysteries might solve about the Red Planet’s past.

You can see the fantastic new selfie below:

The Mount Marcou region is at something called by scientists “the transition between the clay-bearing unit” on another structure, Mount Sharp. Scientists have long believed that the transition might hold some answers essential in discovering what happened to Mars in the beginning.

Picture details

The new selfie is actually including 60 photos captured by the MAHLI (the Mars Hand Lens Imager) on Curiosity’s robotic arm. The pictures were combined with 11 shots taken by the Mastcam on the rover’s head.

Curiosity has also taken many panoramas via its Mastcam. Curiosity made an incredible stereoscopic effect by capturing one panorama from approximately 40 meters (130 feet) away from the outcrop. Then, it moved to the edge and shot another from the same distance.

That is similar to what we can see in 3D viewfinders. Analyzing the outcrop from more angles will help scientists’ work.

More information should be available soon as Curiosity will follow the next steps of its mission.