Stunning: NASA's Curiosity rover released its first colour landscape pictures from Mars on Thursday. The view shows the mountains looming in the distance
Brain transplant: Engineers are performing a four day software update on the Curiosity, pictured here showing the surface of Mars
A handout photo provided by US Space Agency NASA on 09 August 2012 shows the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover
The Red Planet: The rover uses twin navigation cameras, known as NavCam, to take the incredible images showing the planet's rust-coloured, pebble-strewn terrain
The 360-degree panorama was created by Nasa staff by electronically stitching together eight shots from the rover
Michael Malin, principal investigator, Mars Descent Imager, watches the amazing panoramic image being built up on screen
The panorama reveals dark marks on the surface caused tby the lander's rocket engines as it descended
Nasa has also released more self portraits taken by the rover, which they have been using to check for signs of damage.
Visible in the photograph are pebbles resting on the top of the craft which have been kicked up by the landing of the multi-billion dollar exploration vehicle.
However, mission controllers believe the craft is, so far, responding perfectly to their commands.
A handout photo provided by US Space Agency NASA on 09 August 2012 shows full-resolution self-portrait of the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover from the rover's Navigation cameras. Pebbles are visible on the top
Part of the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars, taken from one of the rover's Navigation cameras looking toward the back left of the rover
Earth-like landscape: This image released by NASA and taken by cameras aboard the Curiosity rover shows the Martian horizon scientists say resembles the Mojave Desert
Post a Comment