As the most recent government shutdown came to a close, the Curiosity Rover’s Twitter account (@MarsCuriosity) released a new batch of raw images from the red planet on January 23. The rover's Twitter account had a bit of a break during the shutdown, but while the Curiosity Rover has sent images back in the past of it as part of the Martian landscape, this latest selfie is a bit closer, and the Internet loves it.
With the latest image being closer than usual, many pieces of the technology the rover utilizes are easily seen, such as the the two camera lenses that are used for navigational imaging, and the ChemCam system which is used to conduct analysis of surface rocks.
Ever had the desire to review raw images from a NASA space probe? Well you're in luck! NASA publishes the Curiosity Rover’s raw images based on the SOL or solar day, which is the time it takes Mars to navigate around its own axis. The Martian day lasts roughly 37 and a half minutes longer than Earth’s solar day, for those of you who were wondering. It’s important to note than while viewing the image sets based on SOL day on NASA’s website, you're looking at the actual SOL the images were taken, not when they were delivered via broadcasting through orbiting satellites.
Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Shot in the USA.