NASA turns selfies by Mars rover into stunning self-portrait

By AP
3 February 2018, 12:14 PM
UPDATED 3 February 2018, 18:29 PM
NASA has transformed selfies taken by its Mars rover Curiosity into a stunning self-portrait.

NASA has transformed selfies taken by its Mars rover Curiosity into a stunning self-portrait.

Released this week, the photo shows Curiosity in the middle of the dusty, red Martian terrain, with Mount Sharp in the background. The rim of Gale Crater is also visible.

A small, self-focusing camera on the end of Curiosity's arm took the selfies. Dozens of pictures, all snapped Jan. 23, were used to create the mosaic.

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A viewpoint on "Vera Rubin Ridge" provided NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows where it began its mission inside Gale Crater, plus more-distant features of the crater. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity has been roaming Mars since 2012. Its next stop is the slope shown in the self-portrait, where it will probe what's believed to be clay-rich soil.

NASA is getting ready to put another lander on Mars, a robotic geologist named InSight. Liftoff is targeted for May from California.