Photo of the day: new selfie of the "battered" Curiosity rover

Photo of the day: new selfie of the “battered” Curiosity rover

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a gorgeous self-portrait of the Curiosity rover continuing its exploration of Mars.

This selfie was created by combining 57 individual photos taken on October 25 this year. The shooting was carried out using the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) – a camera on a special robotic arm.

The image shows that the wheels of the rover are badly “beaten” by Martian rocks, and the structural elements are covered with a layer of dust. Nevertheless, the apparatus continues to successfully carry out the scientific program.

The rover is now in an area called Mary Anning, named after the British explorer who collected the fossils. The above image shows several drill holes of Curiosity made to collect rocks.

Recall that the Curiosity apparatus went to the Red Planet on November 26, 2011, and a soft landing was carried out on August 6, 2012. In eight years of operation, the rover has transmitted to Earth a mass of photographs and scientific data, the significance of which cannot be overestimated.