Infographics
Mission Image Gallery
The primary landing site for Curiosity is Gale crater. This map shows Gale's location compared to the landing sites of other Mars missions and other Curiosity sites that were considered.
Curiosity touches down with a new and unproven Sky Crane technique. The rover was too large to drive off a Phoenix-type lander or bounce down in airbags like Spirit and Opportunity.
Three Generations of Mars Rovers. From left-to-right: Mars Exploration Rover (Spirit & Opportunity, 2004), Mars Pathfinder, Sojourner Mini-rover, (1997), and Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, (2012)
|
This is Curiosity's target landing ellipse on a relatively flat plain inside the walls of Gale crater not far from its 6-mile high central mountain peak.
The Curiosity Rover uses a tool to sample a Mars rock. Curiosity is the largest Mars rover yet; it's the size of a small SUV.
Curiosity's first color photo looking across the plain toward the rim of Gale crater. The image was made through a dust cover which protected the camera lens during landing. It will be jetisoned later to provide much clearer images.
|
Schematic diagram of all of Curiosity's various scientific and navigational cameras.
Curiosity Rover and its landing hardware scattered across the bottom of Gale crater as seen from a the HiRise camera system on the MRO (Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter).
One of the earliest views of the floor of Gale crater once the rover's central mast was erected. The mountains in the distance are part of the crater wall.
|
One of the active Mars orbiters was able to capture this picture of Curiosity's descent parachute before the backshell separated, exposing the Sky Crane landing system.
Curiosity's view looking toward Mount Sharp, the central peak of Gale Crater.
The arrows indicate places where Curiosity's SkyCrane downblast excavated the soil down to layers of Martian bedrock.
|
Curiosity's first color panorama of the landing site in Gale crater. Mt. Sharp is just out of the picture at the top.
Curiosity's "Treasure Map" showing various points of scientific interest on the slope of Mt. Sharp.
Layered rock in the flank of Mt. Sharp: Prime subjects for investigation by Curiosity.
Tracks from the first drives of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity are visible in this image captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rover is seen where the tracks end. The image's color has been enhanced to show the surface details better. Image released Sept. 6, 2012. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
|
This view of the three left wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). In the distance is the lower slope of Mount Sharp.
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems
This false-color map shows the area within Gale Crater on Mars, where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (Aug. 6, 2012 EDT). It merges topographic data with thermal inertia data that record the ability of the surface to hold onto heat. Red indicates a surface material that retains its heat longer into the evening, suggesting differences relative to its surroundings. Image released September 27, 2012.
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
|
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity through the 29th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Sept. 4, 2012).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA's Curiosity rover found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named "Hottah" after Hottah Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories. This image mosaic was taken by Curiosity's 100-millimeter Mastcam telephoto lens on its 39th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Sept. 14, 2012 PDT/Sept. 15 GMT).
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
|
This photo from the Mars rover Curiosity is a close-up of a transparent rock feature that some have dubbed a "flower." A NASA spokesman has said it appears to be part of the rock.
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems
|
The sinuous rock feature in the lower center of this mosaic of images recorded by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity is called "Snake River." Image taken Dec. 20, 2012.
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This image from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows inclined layering known as cross-bedding in an outcrop called "Shaler" on a scale of a few tenths of meters, or decimeters (1 decimeter is nearly 4 inches). Image released January 15, 2013.
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA’s Mars rover took this photo of a Martian outcrop where pale rock meets darker overlying rock on May 21, 2015. Such “geological contacts” can shed light on the environmental conditions that produced each type of rock. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This image, captured by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on May 10, 2015, shows rough terrain on the way to an outcrop (light-colored rock in middle distance). Curiosity’s handlers decided not to traverse this terrain and took a different route instead. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA's Curiosity rover saw this rock outcrop dubbed "Missoula," near Marias Pass on Mars. Image released July 23, 2015.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
This Dec. 18, 2015, view of the downwind face of "Namib Dune" on Mars covers 360 degrees, including a portion of Mount Sharp on the horizon.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
This Dec. 18, 2015, view of the downwind face of "Namib Dune" on Mars covers 360 degrees, including a portion of Mount Sharp on the horizon.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
On the slopes of Mt. Sharp, the Curiosity rover has observed interesting parallel rock layers at a formation nicknamed "Whale Rock." There are also cross-bedding features in the layers, indicating possible water current flow in a shallow lake as the sediment layers were deposited to form the rocks.
Another wider-context view of Whale Rock. NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took this photo of ”Whale Rock" at the base of Mount Sharp on Nov. 2, 2014. The image shows cross-bedding that results from water passing over a loose bed of sediment — evidence of an ancient Red Planet lake.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Murray Buttes as seen from the Curiosity Rover on the 4th anniversary of its landing. The buttes consist of sandstone topped with more resistant strata. The flat areas are dried mud lakebed deposits.
Overhead context photograph showing the Murray Buttes area in the foothills of Mount Sharp. The dotted yellow line indicates Curiosity's travels over the last few hundred sols.
NASA's Curiosity rover viewed sloping buttes and layered outcrops on Mars as it exited the Murray Buttes region on Friday (Sept. 9).
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
Close-up detail of sandstone strata in Murray Buttes, showing patterns of cross-bedding.
Layers of sandstone in strata near Murray Buttes photographed by the Curiosity rover.
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this shot of the 2-inch-deep (5 centimeters) hole it drilled in a target called "Duluth" on May 20, 2018. It was the first rock sample captured by the drill since October 2016.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
