Curiosity’s ‘Postcard’ of ‘Marker Band Valley’: NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to seize panoramas at two instances of day on April 8, 2023. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Obtain picture ›
Lighting from two instances of day was mixed for a shocking view of terrain that the rover is forsaking.
After finishing a serious software program replace in April, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took a final take a look at “Marker Band Valley” earlier than leaving it behind, capturing a “postcard” of the scene.
The postcard is a creative interpretation of the panorama, with shade added over two black-and-white panoramas captured by Curiosity’s navigation cameras. The views had been taken on April 8 at 9:20 a.m. and three:40 p.m. native Mars time, offering dramatically completely different lighting that, when mixed, makes particulars within the scene stand out. Blue was added to components of the postcard captured within the morning and yellow to components taken within the afternoon, simply as with an identical postcard taken by Curiosity in November 2021.
The ensuing picture is placing. Curiosity is within the foothills of Mount Sharp, which stands 3 miles (5 kilometers) excessive inside Gale Crater, the place the rover has been exploring since touchdown in 2012. Within the distance past its tracks is Marker Band Valley, a winding space within the “sulfate-bearing area” inside which the rover found sudden indicators of an historic lake. Farther beneath (at heart and simply to the proper) are two hills – “Bolívar” and “Deepdale” – that Curiosity drove between whereas exploring “Paraitepuy Cross.”
“Anybody who’s been to a nationwide park is aware of the scene appears completely different within the morning than it does within the afternoon,” stated Curiosity engineer Doug Ellison of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who deliberate and processed the photographs. “Capturing two instances of day gives darkish shadows as a result of the lighting is coming in from the left and the proper, such as you might need on a stage – however as an alternative of stage lights, we’re counting on the Solar.”
Including to the depth of the shadows is the truth that it was winter – a interval of decrease airborne mud – at Curiosity’s location when the photographs had been taken. “Mars’ shadows get sharper and deeper when there’s low mud and softer when there’s numerous mud,” Ellison added.
The picture friends previous the rear of the rover, offering a glimpse of its three antennas and nuclear energy supply. The Radiation Evaluation Detector, or RAD, instrument, which seems as a white circle within the decrease proper of the picture, has been serving to scientists discover ways to defend the primary astronauts despatched to Mars from radiation on the planet’s floor.
Extra Concerning the Mission
Curiosity was constructed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For extra about Curiosity, go to:
https://mars.nasa.gov/msl
Information Media Contacts
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
