NASA captures remarkable aerial image of Curiosity driving across Mars

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has captured what’s believed to be the first orbital image of the Curiosity rover “on the move.”

The remarkable photograph, enhanced to bring out the details, clearly shows the tracks created by Curiosity’s six wheels as it rolls across the red planet’s barren landscape, with a tiny speck denoting the rover itself. 

“NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has never been camera shy, having been seen in selfies and images taken from space. But on February 28 … Curiosity was captured in what is believed to be the first orbital image of the rover mid-drive across the red planet.” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is overseeing the Curiosity mission, said in a post.

The image was taken by the MRO’s HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera, with the tracks calculated to be about 1,050 feet (320 meters) in length. Curiosity is shown close to the base of a steep slope, which JPL says the rover has since ascended. The vehicle, which arrived on Mars in 2012, drives using a combination of remote commands from Earth and onboard autonomy, with JPL engineers working alongside scientists to plan each day’s trek.

NASA said the tracks will probably remain visible “for months” before martian winds erase them.

“They represent roughly 11 drives starting on February 2 as Curiosity trucked along at a top speed of 0.1 mph (0.16 kph) from Gediz Vallis channel on the journey to its next science stop,” JPL said. 

NASA’s rover has been spending its time studying whether Mars ever had environmental conditions suitable for microbial life. It’s also been gathering data on the planet’s climate and geology, and analyzing the environment in preparation for future crewed missions.

MRO orbits Mars at an altitude ranging from about 155 to 196 miles (250 to 315 kilometers), with its primary mission goals to study Mars’ geology and climate, search for signs of water, and support other Mars missions by relaying data and scouting potential landing sites for future missions.

Curiosity isn’t the only NASA rover trundling across the martian surface. The more advanced Perseverance rover has been on the red planet since arriving there in a spectacular touchdown — captured on hi-res video — in 2021.

On a clear night, you can view Mars up until November. So the next time you spot it, pause for a moment to consider that on that distant planet, NASA has a couple of rovers tootling about, performing science research dreamed up by humans all the way back here on Earth.