Latest news with #High-ResolutionImagingScienceExperiment
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's Mars orbiter captures 1st photo of Curiosity and its winding tracks: Take a look
Though it has been scouring the Martian surface for more than a decade, NASA's Curiosity rover has never been imaged from above within the planet's atmosphere – until now. Far from being camera shy, Curiosity has been the subject of countless selfies and images taken from space. But for the first time, a NASA spacecraft recently captured a photo of the robotic rover from the vantage of Mars' own orbit. The U.S. space agency released the image April 24, which the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped earlier this year. At the time, Curiosity was in the middle of a slow trek across the surface during its ongoing hunt for microbial life. The reconnaissance orbiter, which has been circling Mars from above since 2006, caught a glimpse of Curiosity on Feb. 28, along with the tracks the rover was leaving behind as it ascended a steep slope. The image, captured with the orbiter's HiRISE camera (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment,) shows Curiosity as a dark speck with its tracks trailing behind it. The tracks, spanning about 1,050 feet, are likely to linger for months before wind erases them, according to NASA. The tracks lead to the base of a steep slope that the rover has since ascended on the way to its new destination: a region with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by groundwater billions of years ago. Curiosity is one of two rovers managed from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California that has spent years exploring the Mars surface for signs that the planet was once habitable. Scientists believe the geology of Mars may hold valuable clues about past ancient life, and so the robotic vehicles, controlled remotely from Earth, have slowly navigated the rocky terrain to scoop up and collect intriguing samples. The Curiosity rover began its voyage to Mars in November 2011 during a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rover landed in August 2012 in the Gale Crater on the boundary between Mars' cratered southern highlands and its smooth, northern plains. While exploring the crater, believed to have formed 3.7 billion years ago, Curiosity has collected 42 powderized rock samples with the drill on the end of its robotic arm. The Curiosity rover's primary destination is Mount Sharp, which rises from the floor of the crater. Perseverance then launched from the same location in July 2020, landing in February 2021 in the Jezero Crater, which scientists believe formed 3.9 billion years ago from a massive impact. The rover recently summitted the steep Jezero crater to begin the next leg of its journey exploring the crater's rim. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA reveals 1st photo of Curiosity rover seen from Mars' orbit
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's Mars orbiter snapped this image of Curiosity trucking along down at the surface
The Curiosity Mars rover covers a lot of ground for a robot that only moves at a max speed of .1 mph. A photo snapped recently by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides a pretty cool visualization of what the rover has been up to so far this year, showing the tracks Curiosity left behind as it journeyed from its previous science target — an area called the Gediz Vallis channel — to its next destination. The rover itself is just a tiny speck at the front of the roughly 1,050-foot-long trail, and according to NASA, this snap 'is believed to be the first orbital image of the rover mid-drive across the Red Planet.' The image was captured on February 28 by the orbiter's HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera, and shows Curiosity's movement over 11 drives starting at the beginning of that month. While a few weeks might seem like a long time for tire tracks to stick around in the dirt, this is normal for Mars. The tracks are '[l]ikely to last for months before being erased by wind,' NASA says. Curiosity is expected to reach its next science destination, which is home to formations thought to have been created long ago by groundwater, in the coming weeks.
The Independent
26-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Amazing space image shows route of Mars rover as it treks across the Red Planet
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just captured its first image of the Curiosity rover driving along the red planet's surface. The 2,000-pound Mars rover is shown as a dark speck in the bottom center of the picture frame. It leads a long, thin trail of its tracks that stretches 1,050 feet. The space agency said in a statement that Curiosity's tracks are likely to last there for months before the strong Martian wind erases them. The line shows the progress Curiosity has made since it arrived on Mars in August of 2012. The photo was taken using the orbiter's High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which snaps an image with the majority of the scene in black and white, and a strip of color down the middle to ensure the best spatial resolution. 'By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover's commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive,' Doug Ellison, Curiosity's planning team chief, noted in a statement. Curiosity is seen moving toward the base of a steep slope, and has since ascended it. The orbiter reached Mars orbit in March 2006. It snapped this scene on February 28, or the 4,466th Martian day of the rover's mission. While the camera has captured Curiosity in color before, the rover happened to fall within the black and white part of the image this time around. Earlier in the month, the rover began the first of roughly 11 drives, as it slowly trekked from the Gediz Vallis channel to its next stop. The rover is heading to an area with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by ancient groundwater billions of years ago. The boxwork pattern is a weblike form of ridges that were captured by NASA's orbiter nearly 20 years ago. When exactly Curiosity will get there depends on several factors, including how its software navigates the surface and how challenging the terrain is to climb. It's expected, however, to reach the new science location within a month. 'Engineers at NASA's Southern California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory work with scientists to plan each day's trek,' NASA said.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mars rover spotted cruising around the Red Planet
NASA's Curiosity rover has been spotted mid-expedition on the Martian surface by an orbiting spacecraft, marking what scientists believe is the first time a Mars orbiter has captured an image of the rover in motion. The recently released imagery was taken on Feb. 28 by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In the enhanced image, Curiosity appears as a dark speck on the dusty terrain, with a path of tracks behind it. The orbiter has been circling Mars since 2006 and Curiosity has been exploring the planet since 2012, but their paths have rarely aligned for a clear shot of the rover in action until now. "By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover's commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive," Doug Ellison, a member of Curiosity's operating team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. See The Objects Humans Left Behind On The Moon At the time the image was taken, the orbiter was flying roughly 200 miles above the Martian surface and is expected to continue to be in operation through the 2020s. Curiosity, which travels at a top speed of less than 1 mph, is on a mission to investigate whether the solar system's fourth planet was ever habitable for life. Meanwhile, the orbiter is designed to study the planet's atmosphere and serve as a critical relay point for data transmitted between Earth and ground-based instruments. Nasa Develops "Moon Duster" To Zap Away Lunar Dust Curiosity is currently one of only two operational rovers on Mars. The other, Perseverance, landed in 2021 and is collecting rock samples that could one day be returned to Earth. The European Space Agency has plans to join the exploration effort of the Martian surface, but its rover, which was scheduled for launch in 2028, may face article source: Mars rover spotted cruising around the Red Planet
Business Mayor
25-04-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
Following the path: Cool space image shows route of Mars rover as it treks across the Red Planet
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just captured its first image of the Curiosity rover driving along the red planet's surface. The 2,000-pound Mars rover is shown as a dark speck in the bottom center of the picture frame. It leads a long, thin trail of its tracks that stretches 1,050 feet. The space agency said in a statement that Curiosity's tracks are likely to last there for months before the strong Martian wind erases them. The line shows the progress Curiosity has made since it arrived on Mars in August of 2012. NASA's Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck in this contrast-enhanced view taken in February. This image marks the first time the rover was captured driving by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) The photo was taken using the orbiter's High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which snaps an image with the majority of the scene in black and white, and a strip of color down the middle to ensure the best spatial resolution. 'By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover's commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive,' Doug Ellison, Curiosity's planning team chief, noted in a statement. Curiosity is seen moving toward the base of a steep slope, and has since ascended it. The orbiter reached Mars orbit in March 2006. It snapped this scene on February 28, or the 4,466th Martian day of the rover's mission. While the camera has captured Curiosity in color before, the rover happened to fall within the black and white part of the image this time around. NASA's Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck in this image captured from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter used its high-resolution camera (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) Earlier in the month, the rover began the first of roughly 11 drives, as it slowly trekked from the Gediz Vallis channel to its next stop. The rover is heading to an area with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by ancient groundwater billions of years ago. The boxwork pattern is a weblike form of ridges that were captured by NASA's orbiter nearly 20 years ago. When exactly Curiosity will get there depends on several factors, including how its software navigates the surface and how challenging the terrain is to climb. It's expected, however, to reach the new science location within a month. 'Engineers at NASA's Southern California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory work with scientists to plan each day's trek,' NASA said.
