NASA ’s Curiosity rover has been hard at oeuvre over the past several calendar month at a land site recollect to check ancient open materials . And as this sensational fresh selfie show , the debris - covered investigation is really starting to commingle into its environment .

wonder has been exploring Mars since 2012 , and it ’s certainly starting to show . With the closest car wash located virtually 51 million Swedish mile ( 82 million klick ) away , the six - wheeled car , covered in dust , has taken on the complexion of the Red Planet .

The 59 photos used to create this mosaic image were taken on October 25 , 2020,accordingto a NASA command . mental imagery expert with the space means carefully stitched the photos together , in such a elbow room to remove the roamer ’s Mars Hand Lens Camera ( MAHLI ) .

The Curiosity selfie was stitched together from 59 individual images.

The Curiosity selfie was stitched together from 59 individual images.Image: NASA

An telling , high - res 37 MB version of this icon can be downloadedhere , which I ’ve done and made into my desktop wallpaper . A smaller version can be foundhere .

Oh , and check out the rover ’s middle rack at the right of the figure of speech . Lookin ’ a bit rough , but wealready knewthat ( do n’t worry , the next Mars rover , presently en road , has much tougher wheel ) .

The workhorse rover has been drill and analyzing surface sample at a new site call Mary Anning , which NASA mission comptroller discover in honour of the nineteenth - century English paleontologist . The name is meet , as the site could provide cardinal insight into the yesteryear . But or else of research for Jurassic fossils , Curiosity is searching for organic , C - based atom . A key end of the Curiosity mission is to discover sign of past habitability on Mars .

A very banged-up wheel.

A very banged-up wheel.Image: NASA

Curiosity arrived at the Mary Anning web site in July , where it has drill three holes : Mary Anning , Mary Anning 3 , and Groken ( named for cliff in Scotland ’s Shetland Islands ) . The probe can analyse the samples take from these drill holes by using its built - in lab , calledCheMin . The result data point is then rivet over by the team back on Earth , in a cognitive process that ’s wait to take months .

From here , Curiosity will be directed toward a layer of sulfate - fertile stone that are locate at a high-pitched elevation along Mount Sharp . The rover should reach this area early next year .

https://gizmodo.com/your-guide-to-nasa-s-life-hunting-mars-rover-persevera-1844406760

Three recent holes drilled by Curiosity.

Three recent holes drilled by Curiosity.Image: NASA

Excitingly , NASA ’s Perseverance rover , with itsfancy redundant - indestructible bike , is nowless than 100 days awayfrom arriving at Mars . The next - gen rover is scheduled to shoot down in Jezero Crater on February 18 , 2021 . persistency will get together Curiosity and the InSight lander as the only three officiate probes still working on the Red Planet .

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