Mars Curiosity Thread.

[Recusant]

Another postcard, this one celebrating 5000 (Martian) days of operation for Curiosity. 


NASA JPL Caltech

"NASA's Curiosity rover just hit 5,000 days on Mars and sent back this stunning view" | ScienceDaily

While stopped at a sandy ridge nicknamed "Chocolatal," Curiosity used its navigation cameras to photograph the surrounding landscape at two different times of day. The cameras normally capture images in black and white.

The first panorama was recorded on Aug. 30, 2026, at 9:56 a.m. local Mars time, marking the mission's 5,000th Martian day, or sol. A second panorama was taken on Sep. 2, 2026, at 5:39 p.m. local Mars time, during Curiosity's 5,003rd sol.

After the images arrived on Earth, the two panoramas were combined into a single scene. Color was then added as an artistic interpretation, with blue used for the morning view and yellow for the afternoon.

The finished "postcard" follows the style of similar Curiosity images created in the past, including one taken in November 2021. [As well as the one just a few posts upthread, from 2023.]

Several parts of the rover are visible in the foreground. They include Curiosity's cylindrical UHF antenna, which sends data to spacecraft orbiting Mars, along with the finned Multi Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) at the rear. The MMRTG serves as the rover's nuclear power source.

[Continues . . .]

[Dark Lightning]

I read about that this morning. "Postcards from Mars" 

[Recusant]

Pretty cool, eh?  There may be others but all three I know of together:


2021


2023


2026

[Dark Lightning]

Yup! I think we frequent the same science sites. This one and Science News. One of my nephews studied Airframe & Propulsion for a career, and his teachers recommended him for a job at JPL building spacecraft. I don't know what he's been involved with, but he's been there for a few years. I worked with spacecraft and aircraft for 27 years after graduating uni, from aircraft and spacecraft antennas to low observable tech, and many years as a mechanical designer.