Hills Ridges and Tracks on Mars
Explanation:
Sometimes, even rovers on Mars stop to admire the scenery.
Just late last November the
Curiosity rover on
Mars paused to photograph its
impressive
surroundings.
One thing to admire, straight ahead, was
Central
Butte,
an unusual
flat hill
studied by Curiosity just a few days before this image was taken.
To its right was distant
Mount Sharp,
the five-kilometer central peak of entire
Gale crater,
the interior of which Curiosity is exploring.
Mount Sharp, covered in
sulfates, appears quite bright in
this colorized, red-filtered image.
To the far left, shrouded in a very dark shadow, was the south slope of
Vera Rubin ridge,
an elevation explored previously by Curiosity.
Between the ridge and butte
were tracks left by Curiosity's wheels as they rolled forward,
out of the scene.
In the image foreground is, of course,
humanity's current eyes on Mars:
the complex robotic rover
Curiosity itself.
Later this year, if all goes well,
NASA
will have
another rover
-- and more eyes -- on Mars.
Today you can
help determine the name of this rover yourself,
but tomorrow is the last day to cast your vote.
Help Name the Mars 2020 Rover:
Vote here!
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.