NASA’s Curiosity rover recently set a record for the steepest hill it’s ever climbed, and to commemorate the achievement, the rover took a selfie — naturally. At the center is the Valles Marineris canyon system, over 2,000 kilometers long and up to 8 kilometers deep. Blue is low and yellow is high. This image, combining data from two instruments aboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, depicts an orbital view of the north polar region of Mars. Curiosity has been up there on Mars since 2012 and it provided us with plenty of stunning photos so far. The blue and white clouds are water vapor. France’s Mont Mercou is located near the village of Nontron in the southeast of the country. NASA PREVIEWS FIRST MARS HELICOPTER FLIGHTS: EVERY STEP TAKEN IS 'UNCHARTED TERRITORY', "Wish you were here! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Updated 2059 GMT (0459 HKT) March 30, 2021. This 2016 self-portrait of the Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at the Quela drilling location in the Murray Buttes area on lower Mount Sharp. It was taken on July 20, 1976, by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on the planet. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Here's How NASA's Curiosity Rover Took That 'Selfie' Without Getting Its Arm In The Picture. CNET reports that the “selfie” is actually a composite photo made from 60 images taken from the rover’s arm combined with 11 more images of its mast-mounted camera.. The Mont Mercou selfie is the latest in a long line of glorious Mars views as the veteran rover continues its mission of exploration. That's what curious folks have been asking about the amazing self-portrait the rover recently took to mark its first anniversary on the Red Planet. or redistributed. According to CNN, Curiosity used a drill to capture a rock sample from the formation positioned to the left of the rover in the photo.It’s the 30th sample Curiosity has collected so far. Curiosity used its drill to capture a sample of rock near the formation, which the scientists dubbed Nontron. The area shown is 1.2 inches across. Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world. These details could provide a window into the Martian past. Take a moment out of your day to look at the sky of another world," read a tweet from the Curiosity account. Scientists can analyze data from the rover's instruments to learn more about the composition of the rocks in the area. NASA's Curiosity rover snaps selfie on Mars . Ingenuity Mars helicopter prepares for the first flight on another planet, Mars rovers of the past paved the way for NASA's newest explorer Perseverance, Curiosity rover shares new selfie, climbs steep hill on Mars, Sign up and explore the universe with weekly news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. • Read more: Best camera for astrophotography NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover may have been in service since 2011, but it’s still exploring and just transmitted a selfie with Mont Mercou in the background. Last week, NASA's Curiosity rover used its robotic arm to snap an impressive selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a 20-foot-tall rock formation. In a caption accompanying the image, JPL explained that Curiosity had stitched together different images to create the selfie in front of the 20-foot-tall rock outcrop. The panorama is made up of 60 images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the rover’s robotic arm on March 26, 2021, the 3,070th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The ice-rich polar cap is 621 miles across, and the dark bands in are deep troughs. The selfie shows the rover alongside a rock formation dubbed ‘Mont Mercou’, a nickname taken from a mountain in France. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. See what a selfie looks like from Curiosity's point of view and why its robotic arm isn't in some of the shots. All rights reserved. Is that cookies and cream on Mars? March 30th, 2021 at 5:57 PM. NASA's Mars rover Curiosity recently posed for a selfie in front of a beautiful Martian rock outcrop called "Mont Mercou," after probing the area for clues about the Red Planet's past. All rights reserved. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. These 2001 images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter show a dramatic change in the planet's appearance when haze raised by duststorm activity in the south became globally distributed. The space agency released a photo combining 57 images taken on Jan. 19 at Namib Dune, where the rover is scooping sand for lab analysis. Wind-carved features such as these, called yardangs, are common on the red planet. Here is a panoramic selfie assembled with photos taken by the Mars Curiosity rover's Mastcam and MAHLI cameras on March 26 and March 16 2021. A thin layer of dust is visible on Curiosity , the result of … NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has snapped a dusty but cool selfie. This image was taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter. Tags: NASA, Mars, outer space * * * * The rover captured the photo in front of a rocky outcrop measuring around 20 feet tall, which the Curiosity … NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used two cameras to create this selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Stop scrolling.What you see here aren't just any clouds, they're Martian clouds. To the right of center, a large canyon, Chasma Boreale, almost bisects the ice cap. Although Mars isn't geologically active like Earth, surface features have been heavily shaped by wind. And just beyond that are a multitude of rounded buttes, all high in sulfate minerals. (CNN)While the Perseverance rover is testing out its wheels in Jezero Crater before truly beginning its journey on Mars, the Curiosity rover has been busy snapping selfies of an intriguing rock formation. Market data provided by Factset. Curiosity landed on Mars' surface on Aug. 6, 2012, at 1:32 a.m. These photos from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover showcase the incredible surface of the red planet, and selfies of the rovers themselves. The selfie, taken earlier in the month, was posted alongside an additional pair of three-dimensional and panoramic shots of the Martian landscape. It's the 30th sample collected by Curiosity so far. HiRISE captured layered deposits and a bright ice cap at the Martian north pole. https://t.co/rc7rOWK87d pic.twitter.com/uOBOh3GHkP, Perseverance, which landed on February 18, is preparing the. The process was necessary in order for their science team to better understand the rock's composition and history. "The panorama is … NASA rocket passes key test for Artemis mission. In a caption accompanying the image, JPL explained that Curiosity had stitched together different images to create the selfie in front of the 20-foot-tall rock outcrop. Legal Statement. NASA's shiny new Perseverance rover has been stealing the spotlight lately, but Curiosity is still on Mars, too. These Martian landslides appear on slopes during the spring and summer. Quick! The latest image from the Curiosity rover looks as if it's snapped a selfie. HOUSTON -- Even NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is into selfies. The cloud in the center of this image is actually a dust tower that occurred in 2010 and was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Orbiters circling Mars have detected a clay mineral called nontronite, which is found close to the actual Nontron on Earth, within this area on Mars. These 60 images were combined with 11 images taken by Curiosity… At the beginning of this month, the rover approached a large rock formation that scientists … This composite image, looking toward the higher regions of Mount Sharp, was taken in September 2015 by NASA's Curiosity rover. Comprised of 71 different images captured by two different cameras, this panorama shows the rover in front of six meter tall rock outcrop 'Mont Mercou'. HiRISE took this image of a kilometer-size crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars in June 2014. In early March, it rover began approaching a rock formation that scientists dubbed “Mont Mercou” by a mountain in France. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used two cameras to create this selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall. ET. By Mike Wehner @MikeWehner. In a Tuesday news release from JPL, researchers explained that Curiosity's drill had "powderized" the Nontron sample before "trickling it into instruments inside the rover.". This photo of a preserved river channel on Mars was taken by an orbiting satellite, with color overlaid to show different elevations. In a tweet, the Curiosity team explained the image was captured near the impressive rock formation named "Mont Mercou" after a mountain in France's southern region. Nontron-related nicknames were chosen because Mars orbiters detected nontronite, a type of clay mineral, in the region. The panorama is made up of 60 images from the MAHLI camera on the rover’s robotic arm along with 11 images from the Mastcam on the mast, or “head,” of the rover. Perseverance will search for signs of ancient microbial life in the dry lake bed and river delta of Jezero Crater. The rover marked its first anniversary the following year with another selfie taken from a closer viewpoint. This dark mound, called Ireson Hill, is on the Murray formation on lower Mount Sharp, near a location where NASA's Curiosity rover examined a linear sand dune in February 2017. The panorama is made up of 60 images from the MAHLI camera on the rover’s robotic arm along with 11 images from the Mastcam on the mast, or "head," of the rover. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used two cameras to create this selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands over 6 metres tall. NASA'S Curiosity rover has snapped a gorgeous selfie from the surface of Mars. 'NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used two different cameras to create this selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter used its HiRISE camera to obtain this view of an area with unusual texture on the southern floor of Gale Crater. The view looks back at the rover's tracks leading up the north-facing slope of Knudsen Ridge, which forms part of the southern edge of Marathon Valley. "What you see here aren't just any clouds, they're Martian clouds. Because the terrain where the crater formed is dusty, the fresh crater appears blue in the enhanced color of the image, due to removal of the reddish dust in that area. "The panorama is made up of 60 images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the rover's robotic arm on March 26, 2021, the 3070th Martian day, or sol, of the mission," they wrote.