On
the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's
mission on Mars (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used
the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution
images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover.
The mosaic shows the rover at "Rocknest," the spot in Gale Crater where
the mission's first scoop sampling took place. Four scoop scars can be
seen in the regolith in front of the rover. A fifth scoop was collected
later.
Self-portraits like this one document the state of the
rover and allow mission engineers to track changes over time, such as
dust accumulation and wheel wear. Due to its location on the end of the
robotic arm, only MAHLI (among the rover's 17 cameras) is able to image
some parts of the craft, including the port-side wheels.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
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