Mars Rover Curiosity’s Cameras Captured Selfies, Broken Sidewalk, Small Ball, Pyramid, Bird Sculpture & Laser Shots

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft (launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Nov. 26, 2011) set down on Mars a large, mobile laboratory — the rover Curiosity — at Gale Crater on the floor of Gale Crater on Aug. 6, 2012 Universal Time (evening of Aug. 5, Pacific Time).

The rover studies the geology and environment of selected areas in the crater and analyzes samples drilled from rocks or scooped from the ground.
Within the first eight months of a planned 23-month primary mission, Curiosity met its major objective of finding evidence of a past environment well suited to supporting microbial life.
- Images from the rover showed an area where “water once coursed vigorously over the surface.”
- The evidence for stream flow was in rounded pebbles (spheres up to a few centimeters) mixed with hardened sand in conglomerate rocks at and near the landing site.
- This indicates sustained abrasion of rock fragments within water flows that crossed Gale Crater.
The touchdown site, Bradbury Landing, is near the foot of a layered mountain, Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons).
Please note: a Martian day for rover Curiosity is one Sol (in the satellite of our sun).

Curiosity’s 17 cameras consist of both engineering and science cameras.

There are four types of engineering cameras.

Like the Mars Exploration Rovers, Curiosity has a stereo Navigation Camera on its mast and low-slung, stereo Hazard-Avoidance cameras. The wide view of the Navigation Camera is also used to aid targeting of other instruments and to survey the sky for clouds and dust.

Front Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Front Hazcams)

Front Hazcams. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

This image was taken by Front Hazcam: Left B (FHAZ_LEFT_B) onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 762 (2014-09-28 03:17:13 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. — This image was taken by Front Hazcam: Left B (FHAZ_LEFT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 762 (2014-09-28 03:17:13 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Rear Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Rear Hazcams)

Rear Hazcams. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

This image was taken by Rear Hazcam: Left B (RHAZ_LEFT_B) onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 758 (2014-09-23 20:53:00 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. — This image was taken by Rear Hazcam: Left B (RHAZ_LEFT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 758 (2014-09-23 20:53:00 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Left Navigation Camera (Navcams)

Left Navcams. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The drive by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity during the mission's 43rd Martian day, or sol, (Sept. 19, 2012) ended with this rock about 8 feet (2.5 meters) in front of the rover. The pyramid-shaped rock is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. The image was taken by the left Navigation camera (Navcam) at the end of the drive. The rock has been named "Jake Matijevic." Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. — The drive by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity during the mission’s 43rd Martian day, or sol, (Sept. 19, 2012) ended with this rock about 8 feet (2.5 meters) in front of the rover. The pyramid-shaped rock is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. The image was taken by the left Navigation camera (Navcam) at the end of the drive. The rock has been named “Jake Matijevic.” Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Right Navigation Cameras (Navcams)

right navcams. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. — Right Navcams. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

MSL payload on Curisoity. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

There are four types of science cameras.

Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)

The Mars Descent Imager took color video during the rover’s descent toward the surface, providing an “astronaut’s view” of the local environment.

Please click here to watch a stop-motion video of Curiosity’s Descent.
- As soon as the rover jettisoned its heatshield several kilometers above the surface, the Mars Descent Imager began producing a four-frames-per-second video stream of high-resolution, overhead views of the landing site.
  - This stop-motion video recorded 297 frames from the Mars Descent Imager aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover as it descended to the surface of Mars.
- It stored the video data in digital memory, which was transferred to Earth.
- In addition to helping Earthbound planners select an optimum path of exploration, the Mars Descent Imager provided information about the larger geologic context surrounding the landing site.
- It also enabled mappers to determine the spacecraft’s precise location after landing.
Visit MSL for Scientists for technical information about MARDI.

This image was taken by Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 746 (2014-09-11 20:17:02 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. — This image was taken by Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 746 (2014-09-11 20:17:02 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam)

The ChemCam instrument has two parts: a mast package and a body unit. On the mast is a telescope to focus the laser (for vaporizing surfaces) and the camera (Remote Micro-Imager [RMI)]).

The mast package can be tilted or rotated as needed for optimum viewing of the rock.
Light from the telescope travels along a fiber-optic link to a body unit inside the rover. The body unit carries three spectrographs for dividing the plasma light into its constituent wavelengths for chemical analysis.

In the event the Mars Science Laboratory rover can’t reach a rock or outcrop of interest, ChemCam will have the capability to analyze it from a distance.

From 23 feet (7 meters) away from its target, ChemCam is able to perform the following key functions:

Rapidly identify the kind of rock being studied (for example, whether it is volcanic or sedimentary); a remote camera is used to acquire extremely detailed images.
- The camera can resolve features 5 to 10 times smaller than those visible with cameras on NASA’s two Mars Exploration Rovers that began exploring the red planet in January 2004.
Determine the composition of soils and pebbles: ChemCam will fire a laser and analyze the elemental composition of vaporized materials from areas smaller than 1 millimeter on the surface of Martian rocks and soils.
Measure the abundance of all chemical elements, including trace elements and those that might be hazardous to humans.
- ChemCam is assisting in the preparation of sending astronauts to Mars by checking for potentially toxic and hazardous materials such as lead and arsenic.
Recognize ice and minerals with water molecules in their crystal structures.
- Part of the ChemCam instrument includes the highest-resolution camera ever sent to the surface of Mars.
- Mission scientists use this camera to look for physical alteration of rocks caused by the presence of water in the past.
- ChemCam is also able to look for the chemical ingredients of life – oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and/or hydrogen.
Measure the depth and composition of weathering rinds on rocks.
Provide visual assistance during drilling of rock cores.

Visit MSL for Scientists for technical information about ChemCam.

"The Laser-Induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and Micro-Imaging instrument will identify atomic elements in martian rocks." Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/J.-L. Lacour, CEA. — “The Laser-Induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and Micro-Imaging instrument will identify atomic elements in martian rocks.” Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/J.-L. Lacour, CEA.

"First Laser-Zapped Rock on Mars. This composite image, with magnified insets, depicts the first laser test by the Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam, instrument aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover." The background is a Navcam image. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. — “First Laser-Zapped Rock on Mars. This composite image, with magnified insets, depicts the first laser test by the Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam, instrument aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.” The background is a Navcam image. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The following video presents Flash from Curiosity Rover’s Laser Hitting a Martian Rock:

The sparks that appear on the baseball-sized rock (starting at :17) result from the laser of the ChemCam instrument on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover hitting the rock.

ChemCam’s laser zapping of this particular rock was the first time the team used Curiosity’s arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera to try and capture images of the spark generated by the laser hitting a rock on Mars. Their efforts were a success.

The video is compiled from single images from the MAHLI camera, taken during the 687th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s work on Mars (July 12, 2014).

Since Curiosity landed in Mars’ Gale Crater in August 2012, researchers have used ChemCam’s laser and spectrometers to examine more than 600 rock or soil targets. The laser itself has been fired more than 150,000 times. The process, called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, hits a target with pulses from the laser to generate sparks, whose spectra provide information about which chemical elements are in the target. Multiple laser shots are fired in sequence, each blasting away a thin layer of material so that the following shot examines a slightly deeper layer. In this case, “Nova” displayed an increasing concentration of aluminum as a series of laser shots from the rover penetrated through dust on the rock’s surface.

Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)

The primary objective of the MAHLI investigation is to acquire images, particularly at (but not limited to) hand lens scale, which:

facilitate the interpretation of the petrography (i.e. mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock) and mineralogy of rocks and regolith fines at the MSL investigation site, attributes that are critical for describing the materials and deciphering the processes that have acted on them,
help select materials to be sampled or examined by the other instruments, and
document the sampled or examined targets and collected materials.

MAHLI provides scientists with extreme close-up pictures of rocks, soil, minerals, textures, and structures in martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust, and, if present, ice.

This focusable color camera is located on the turret at the end of the MSL robotic arm.
- The instrument acquires images of up to 1600 by 1200 pixels with a color quality equivalent to that of consumer digital cameras.
The self-focusing, roughly 4-centimeter-wide (1.5-inch-wide) camera takes color images of features as small as about 21 millimeters (0.8 inch), and even as small as 12.5 micrometers – smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
Also, MAHLI can focus on targets as distant as the horizon or farther.
This science camera carries both white light sources, similar to the light from a flashlight, and ultraviolet light sources, similar to the light from a tanning lamp, making the imager functional both day and night. The ultraviolet light is used to induce fluorescence to help detect carbonate and evaporite minerals, both of which indicate that water helped shape the landscape on Mars.
Visit MSL for Scientists for technical information about MAHLI.
The Curiosity rover used the MAHLI camera to obtain the following two selfies:

"Rover Takes Self Portrait On Sol 32 (Sept. 7, 2012). The image shows the top of Curiosity's Remote Sensing Mast including the ChemCam, two Mast cameras and four Navigation cameras. The angle of the frame reflects the position of the MAHLI camera on the arm when the image was taken. The image was acquired while MAHLI's clear dust cover was closed. The image was taken on a day when MAHLI and other instruments and tools on the turret were being inspected using the rover's Mastcams and Navcams. The MAHLI cover was in the closed position in order to inspect the dust cover to ensure that the cover, its hinge, and the volume it sweeps when it opens are clear of debris." Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems. — “Rover Takes Self Portrait On Sol 32 (Sept. 7, 2012). The image shows the top of Curiosity’s Remote Sensing Mast including the ChemCam, two Mast cameras and four Navigation cameras. The angle of the frame reflects the position of the MAHLI camera on the arm when the image was taken. The image was acquired while MAHLI’s clear dust cover was closed. The image was taken on a day when MAHLI and other instruments and tools on the turret were being inspected using the rover’s Mastcams and Navcams. The MAHLI cover was in the closed position in order to inspect the dust cover to ensure that the cover, its hinge, and the volume it sweeps when it opens are clear of debris.” Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems.

"High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait. 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. The base of Gale Crater's 3-mile-high (5-kilometer) sedimentary mountain, Mount Sharp, rises on the right side of the frame. Mountains in the background to the left are the northern wall of Gale Crater. The Martian landscape appears inverted within the round, reflective ChemCam instrument at the top of the rover's mast. 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/Malin Space Science Systems. — “High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA’s Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait. 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. The base of Gale Crater’s 3-mile-high (5-kilometer) sedimentary mountain, Mount Sharp, rises on the right side of the frame. Mountains in the background to the left are the northern wall of Gale Crater. The Martian landscape appears inverted within the round, reflective ChemCam instrument at the top of the rover’s mast. 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/Malin Space Science Systems.

Mast Camera (Mastcam)

The Mast Camera, mounted at about human-eye height, images the rover’s surroundings in high-resolution stereo and color, with the capability to take and store high-definition video sequences. It can also be used for viewing materials collected or treated by the arm.

The images can be stitched together to create panoramas of the landscape around the rover.
The Mastcam design consists of two camera systems mounted on a mast extending upward from the MSL rover deck (body).
The Mastcam is used to
- study the Martian landscape, rocks, and soils;
- view frost and weather phenomena; and
- support the driving and sampling operations of the rover.
Mars Weather of Sol 762 (Earth, 2014-10-02 UTC): Ground temperature is 14^oC Max. and –72^oC Min; 05:18 Sunrise and 17:26 Sunset.

"Focusing the 100-millimeter Mastcam." Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. — “Focusing the 100-millimeter Mastcam.” Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

"Focusing the 34-millimeter Mastcam." Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. — “Focusing the 34-millimeter Mastcam.” Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Several new features on the Mastcam distinguish it from previous rover cameras:
Mastcam captured a Martian “ball” surrounded by a myriad of tiny spheres. This image was taken by Mastcam: Right (MAST_RIGHT) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 746 (2014-09-11 14:46:58 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Another Mastcam shot showed that the Martian “ball” is actually a very small sphere. This image was taken by Mastcam: Left (MAST_LEFT) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 746 (2014-09-11 14:46:57 UTC). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

"Broken Sidewalk" image. "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. It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature on Mars is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was disrupted in the past, giving it the titled angle, most likely via impacts from meteorites." Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. — “Broken Sidewalk” image. “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. It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature on Mars is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was disrupted in the past, giving it the titled angle, most likely via impacts from meteorites.” Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

"Wind erosion has shaped this Mars rock into something resembling a bird from this point of view." Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. — “Wind erosion has shaped this Mars rock into something resembling a bird from this point of view.” Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has reached the Red Planet’s Mount Sharp, a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the center of the vast Gale Crater and the rover mission’s long-term prime destination…

After landing inside Gale Crater in August 2012, Curiosity fulfilled in its first year of operations its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. Clay-bearing sedimentary rocks on the crater floor, in an area called Yellowknife Bay, yielded evidence of a lakebed environment billions of years ago that offered fresh water, all of the key elemental ingredients for life, and a chemical source of energy for microbes.

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Project continues to use Curiosity to assess ancient habitable environments and major changes in Martian environmental conditions.The Mars Exploration Rover Project is one element of NASA’s ongoing preparation for a human mission to the Red Planet in the 2030s. JPL built Curiosity and manages the project and MRO for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Guy Webster / DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278 / 818-393-9011
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov / agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

This video presents Curiosity Rover Report: A Taste of Mount Sharp (Sept. 25, 2014).

“NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has collected its first drill sample from the base of Mount Sharp. The scientific allure of the layered mountain inside a crater drew the team to choose this part Mars as its landing site.”